Our Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on EMTALA and Abortion Care

Sanctuary for Families

Statement from Sanctuary for Families CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court ruling in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States.

Today, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the consolidated cases Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States, sending them back to the lower courts without a ruling on the merits but reinstating an injunction requiring Idaho to permit abortions in the case of major health crises. This decision ensures that, for now, women in Idaho can access essential emergency abortion care when their lives or health are at risk, affirming that medical professionals can provide life-saving treatments without fear of criminal penalties or losing their medical licenses.

However, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted in her partial concurrence, “Today’s decision is not a victory for pregnant patients in Idaho. It is delay. While this court dawdles and the country waits, pregnant people experiencing emergency medical conditions remain in a precarious position, as their doctors are kept in the dark about what the law requires.”  

Statement from Sanctuary CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court Ruling in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States:

“Today, the Supreme Court squandered an opportunity to stand against state-sponsored gender-based violence. While the decision allows pregnant women in Idaho to receive emergency abortion care for the time being, it also denies patients in Texas and around the country access to the same life-saving treatment.

Access to emergency medical services is particularly crucial for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, who often need urgent care during pregnancy. Sanctuary for Families is proud to have submitted an amicus brief demonstrating how abortion bans like Idaho’s disproportionately harm survivors. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating for comprehensive healthcare rights and protecting against all forms of gender-based violence.”

###

Media inquiries: press@sffny.org

Read our amicus brief on the impact that restrictive abortion laws have on survivors of gender-based violence. 

Our Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling in United States v. Rahimi

Sanctuary for Families

Statement from Sanctuary CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court ruling upholding firearm restrictions for domestic abusers.

Statement from Sanctuary CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Rahimi:

“Sanctuary for Families applauds the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold critical firearm restrictions for individuals subject to domestic violence restraining orders. This ruling is an important step in protecting survivors of intimate partner abuse and combating the silent epidemic of femicide in the United States.

When abusers have access to firearms, they are five times more likely to murder their partners or ex-partners. By recognizing the dangers that firearms pose in the hands of abusers, the Court has acknowledged the scope of this crisis and underscored the need for stronger gun control. We will continue our relentless advocacy on behalf of survivors to protect their fundamental right to live free from violence.”

Our Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine

Sanctuary for Families

Statement from Sanctuary CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court ruling regarding mifepristone.

Statement from Sanctuary CEO Hon. Judy Kluger on the Supreme Court Ruling Regarding Mifepristone:

“Sanctuary for Families applauds the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to deny standing to the radically anti-choice Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in their challenge to the availability of mifepristone. Even the Court’s most conservative justices agreed that the plaintiffs’ desire to restrict access to medication abortion does not qualify them to challenge the drug’s availability.

This decision is a relief, but it also underscores the anti-choice movement’s persistent efforts to control women’s bodies—a pernicious form of gender-based violence that disproportionately harms survivors of intimate partner violence. Efforts to limit access to reproductive healthcare perpetuate cycles of abuse and control, denying survivors the essential care they need.

Sanctuary for Families, having joined a coalition of organizations in submitting an amicus brief to highlight these critical issues, remains steadfast in our commitment to advocating for survivors’ access to critical reproductive healthcare. We will continue to fight for the rights and well-being of all survivors, ensuring they have the freedom to make decisions about their bodies and futures without fear or coercion.”

Click here to read the full amicus brief. 

Sanctuary Files Brief to SCOTUS Supporting the Right to Emergency Abortion Care

Sanctuary for Families

Sanctuary filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated cases Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States in support of reproductive care access.

Yesterday, Sanctuary filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated cases Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States in support of reproductive care access. We argued that by requiring pregnant patients to incur serious but preventable harms or to suffer until their medical conditions become life-threatening, Idaho’s abortion ban amounts to gender-based violence. 

Joined by a coalition of 16 organizations advocating on behalf of survivors, our brief urges the Court to consider the compounding effect of the harms caused by abortion bans that conflict with EMTALA* for pregnant patients who arrive at the emergency department with emergency medical conditions resulting from physical abuse.

Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States. The Court should not permit states to further endanger pregnant women’s lives and empower their abusers by denying stabilizing abortion care in the narrow but critical circumstances in which EMTALA requires it to prevent the patient’s death or serious harm to her health.

We want to thank the National Women’s Law Center for coordinating this broader effort in support of reproductive justice and our partners at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP for authoring this brief on our behalf. We also want to recognize the remarkable leadership of Sanctuary’s Reproductive Rights Advocacy Sub-Committee, co-chaired by Family Law Project and Policy Director Luba Reife and Senior Staff Attorney Anne Glatz.

Click here to read the full amicus brief. 

*The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hospitals with emergency departments to provide a medical screening examination to any individual who comes to the emergency department and requests such an examination, and prohibits hospitals with emergency departments from refusing to examine or treat individuals with an emergency medical condition.