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Dear John
Once again, the Supreme Court has struck an unconscionable blow against women's rights and health.
Instead of answering a straightforward question – whether federal law that requires hospitals to perform emergency abortions for women facing life-threatening pregnancy complications, supersedes state abortion bans – their decision did exactly the opposite, dismissing the case and sending it back through the appellate process.
First ... the Court took six months to deliberate on a critical abortion case involving the extreme Idaho abortion ban–a law contrary to the federal Emergency Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) that guarantees emergency treatment in EVERY state.
Next ... adding real injury to insult during this prolonged period of indecision, at least six pregnant women in Idaho experiencing complications had to be airlifted to out-of-state hospitals for emergency care—this is the number from just one Idaho hospital’s reports. We can only imagine the countless other pregnant patients who were denied necessary care due to Idaho’s extreme law and the Supreme Court's callous foot-dragging.
This decision is not a victory for women despite the fact the Court ruled that women could receive emergency treatment while the law goes back through the appellate process. The Court’s decision only covers women in Idaho. Abortion access in emergency cases remains under threat in the 13 other states with severe abortion bans similar to Idaho’s.
As Justice Jackson put it in her dissent:
“ This Court had a chance to bring clarity and certainty to this tragic situation, and we have squandered it. And for as long as we refuse to declare what the law requires, pregnant patients in Idaho, Texas, and elsewhere will be paying the price.”
That’s right. Instead of clarifying the federal law that protects the right to abortion in an emergency in every state —regardless of a particular state's abortion ban—the reactionary majority chose not to.
Make no mistake, Trump did this, and the Court’s decision is just one more bullet aimed at deliberately perpetuating both the legal uncertainty and the reign of terror created by MAGA extremists and this reactionary Supreme Court.
And frankly, this decision is just the latest example of why it’s critically important each of us do our part to make certain that together we channel unprecedented energy and resources into our 2024 Election efforts in key battleground states.
Your help today [[link removed]] is essential to our ability to protect the most fundamental of women’s rights and freedoms tomorrow.
For Victory and Equality,
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Eleanor Smeal, President
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Kathy Spillar, Executive Director
P.S. Your dedication and support are the pillars our success in fighting extremism and winning elections relies on. Together, we must ensure that our collective voice remains strong and that we are fully prepared for the challenges ahead [[link removed]] .
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