BOISE, Idaho — The Trump administration has indicated plans to dismiss a federal lawsuit challenging emergency abortion care in Idaho, potentially as soon as Wednesday. This lawsuit, initially filed by the Biden administration, targets Idaho's restrictive abortion laws for allegedly violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
"The only thing that will save women in Idaho in those dire, dire health scenarios is the Supreme Court's injunction upholding the EMTALA exception," said Representative Ilana Rubel, D-Idaho.
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EMTALA, enacted in the 1980s, mandates that hospitals provide care regardless of a patient's ability to pay or insurance status and requires transferring patients if the hospital cannot offer adequate care.
Requests for interviews or comments from the Idaho GOP and Attorney General Raul Labrador's office were not returned. Rubel shared her expectations, stating, "I fully expected them to, just given where they are on women's reproductive rights, and given how tight they are with our Attorney General, et cetera, I knew it was extremely unlikely that the Trump administration was going to pursue a lawsuit against Raul Labrador and against the state of Idaho to protect women's reproductive rights."
St. Luke's Health System, Idaho's largest healthcare provider, has also filed litigation against Raul Labrador. They pointed to concerns that "a new administration might move to vacate the [existing] injunction and dismiss the action."
The announcement came with documentation from United States Attorney Daniel Schwei, who contacted the Idaho Legislature and legal counsel on Monday, March 3rd.
Both the State and St. Luke’s Health System will appear in court on Wednesday, as Idaho News 6 continues to monitor the developments.
