FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
May 30, 2025
Coalition Acts to Protect Pregnant Patients’ Federal Right to Emergency Care, Including Abortion
By Intervening in a Federal Challenge to EMTALA, Doctors for America Seeks to Protect Health and Lifesaving Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Doctors for America (DFA) – represented by Democracy Forward, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, the National Women’s Law Center, and law firm Crowell & Moring – is taking legal action to defend pregnant patients’ right to receive, and for physicians to provide, health- and life-saving abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). This federal law has required hospitals with emergency departments to provide stabilizing treatment, including abortion, to patients experiencing medical emergencies for nearly four decades.
Through its intervention, Doctors for America seeks to ensure that the right to emergency abortion care under EMTALA is vigorously defended. Doctors for America’s motion to intervene was filed in Catholic Medical Association v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al., which challenges EMTALA guidance issued in 2022, which reaffirms EMTALA’s protections for pregnant people,, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee Nashville Division.
“Doctors should not be forced to choose between following the law and saving a patient’s life,” said Dr. Christine Petrin, President of Doctors for America. “EMTALA was designed to protect patients in crisis. We are fighting to ensure that these protections extend to pregnant patients and that physicians can provide life-saving treatment to them without fear of prosecution.”
For nearly 40 years, EMTALA has been understood by medical providers and the federal government — including both Democratic and Republican administrations — to require abortion care when that care is needed to stabilize pregnant patients in a medical crisis. As today’s motion to intervene emphasizes, stripping away EMTALA’s protections would put doctors in legal chaos and force them to violate their sworn duty: to save lives and prevent harm.
“Pregnant people have suffered needlessly, and some have died, because of the chaos and confusion that abortion bans have caused for patients and their doctors,” said Carrie Flaxman, Senior Legal Advisor at Democracy Forward. “EMTALA has protected the lives and health of pregnant people for nearly four decades – it is a critical safeguard to ensure that pregnant people receive medical care in emergency situations, including abortion care. Any attempt to undermine EMTALA and its implementation – which will sow confusion for providers and endanger the lives and health of pregnant people – will be met swiftly with action by Democracy Forward, our partners, and our brave clients.”
“When pregnant patients go to the emergency room, they expect to get the care needed to protect their health and lives — but anti-abortion politicians and their allies would rather see women die than access abortion,” said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Deputy Director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “It is outrageous that the beliefs of a fringe group could override not only a patient’s right to lifesaving abortion care, but to make personal medical decisions with their health care providers. The ACLU and our partners will not stop fighting against these continued attacks on our reproductive freedom.”
For press inquiries or additional information from Doctors for America please contact [email protected].
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About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America (DFA) mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. We are 27,000+ physicians and medical students in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. DFA teaches physicians and medical trainees how to do advocacy. Then our advocates have the opportunity to practice those skills at a state and federal level in the areas of access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine. In addition, DFA does not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical or medical device industry, insurance companies or for-profit healthcare companies; which uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on BlueSky @drsforamerica.