{"id":3298,"date":"2025-06-20T15:10:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T15:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/trump-administrations-guidance-on-emergency-care-law-adds-to-chaos-not-clarity-in-states-with-strict-abortion-laws-some-doctors-say\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T15:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T15:10:49","slug":"trump-administrations-guidance-on-emergency-care-law-adds-to-chaos-not-clarity-in-states-with-strict-abortion-laws-some-doctors-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/trump-administrations-guidance-on-emergency-care-law-adds-to-chaos-not-clarity-in-states-with-strict-abortion-laws-some-doctors-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration\u2019s guidance on emergency care law adds to \u2018chaos,\u2019 not clarity, in states with strict abortion laws, some doctors say"},"content":{"rendered":"<div 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data-url=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=80401312489&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F06%2F20%2Fhealth%2Femtala-abortion-guidance-hhs&amp;display=popup\" data-type=\"facebook\" aria-label=\"share with facebook\" title=\"Share with Facebook\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Facebook<\/span>        <\/button>        <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article%3A&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2025%2F06%2F20%2Fhealth%2Femtala-abortion-guidance-hhs\" data-type=\"x\" aria-label=\"share with x\" title=\"Share with X\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Tweet<\/span>        <\/button>                                        <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Email<\/span>                <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/06\/20\/health\/emtala-abortion-guidance-hhs\" data-type=\"copy\" aria-label=\"copy link to clipboard\" title=\"Copy link to clipboard\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Link<\/span>        <\/button>        <\/p>\n<div class=\"social-share_labelled-list__copied\" data-type=\"message\">                        Link Copied!        <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__open\" data-type=\"open\" aria-label=\"open social share\" title=\"Open social share\">            <\/button>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__close\" data-type=\"close\" aria-label=\"close social share\" title=\"Close social share\">            <\/button><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__buttons\">            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"follow\">                                        Follow            <\/button>            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"share options\">                                <\/button>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznklqe007z28pbciu61isb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Federal guidance that the Trump administration says is intended to offer clarity is instead leaving health care providers even more confused about whether they can provide an abortion in an emergency, particularly in states with strict abortion laws.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc384d2p00003b6mlqv3cs5a@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            This month, the Trump administration rescinded 2022 federal guidance specifying that under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, people should be able to get an abortion if a medical emergency makes it necessary, even in states with laws that restrict such procedures. HHS and the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services said they would continue to enforce the federal law, specifying that the policy included emergency medical conditions that placed the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2gsbnd000i336m7wzzw4vn@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Then, in a letter to health care providers last week, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that under EMTALA, stabilizing care should be given to a person who is pregnant and having a medical emergency \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t specify what that care might involve.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc38ghgr00033b6mgycmwqy6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In the June 13 letter, Kennedy says that it was the 2022 memo that \u201ccreated confusion. But that is no more.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc38mfzq00063b6mi82sxp7m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Some doctors beg to differ.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc3id5u000003b6mc68vypzc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It\u2019s unclear exactly what the recision of the previous guidance meant for emergency care, particularly in states with highly restrictive abortion laws, some doctors said. The latest letter doesn\u2019t mention abortion at all \u2014 and the absence of specifics is creating more uncertainty.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc39dfgb00093b6mdax66xrt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cI do think this just contributes to all of the chaos that clinicians are having to deal with as they just attempt to take care of the patient in front of them and navigate state laws and federal guidance to provide care for patients,\u201d said Dr. Nisha Verma, a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and senior adviser for reproductive health policy and advocacy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a professional organization that represents the majority of practitioners in the United States. \u201cIt\u2019s not something you want to get wrong, because the consequences are so severe and it feels so scary.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmbznl1b3000h336mlopciglz@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmbgzvax7002f26p830c0e5r4@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AP25150712533925.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap25150712533925.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">The previous EMTALA guidance does not &#8220;reflect the policy&#8221; of the Trump administration, a statement says.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Trump administration rolls back guidance specifying that ERs must offer abortion care when necessary<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznu8iu00013b6mc8ne76c7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Verma appreciates that the new letter from Kennedy clarifies that EMTALA is still the law of the land, even after the administration rescinded the 2022 guidance. But without a specific mention of abortion, she said, the nation\u2019s patchwork of laws makes it difficult for doctors to navigate emergency situations. Some of those state laws could even send doctors to jail if they make the wrong decision about when an emergency necessitates an abortion.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznkr1e0005336mr6ouk7qi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cI think it was helpful to specify abortion is covered under EMTALA\u201d in the 2022 guidance, Verma said. \u201cI do think that having that language specifically in this really scary, chilling environment was helpful.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2hyp010011336mnblxzppp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \ufeffDr. Alison Haddock, an emergency room doctor who is president of American College of Emergency Physicians, said she was happy that Kennedy\u2019s letter confirmed that pregnant patients need access to care and that it included examples of common problems like miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and premature rupture of membranes.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2j3o3g0019336mc76xkku2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThose are some of the situations that have been really challenging for our physicians. Noting that those can represent an obstetric emergency where EMTALA would apply is really good to see,\u201d Haddock said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2j3o3g001a336mwe1c2ywx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But she added that the Trump administration\u2019s guidance does not clear up everything.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2j3o3g001b336md894g0xi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cI think physicians are still going to have issues with conflicting state law where they are still going to be left in a gray area of uncertainty about how to balance adhering to EMTALA and adhering to state law, and that\u2019s going to leave patients in the same place,\u201d Haddock said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc39eh7x000c3b6mehapow37@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Trips to the emergency room are common for pregnant people, studies show. The majority of emergency providers say they treat pregnant patients in virtually every shift, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and in some circumstances, treatment to protect a pregnant person\u2019s health or life may require an abortion.<strong> <\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2j3o3g001c336m6x22wa31@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Pregnancy emergencies don\u2019t always happen during standard work hours, Haddock said, and the \u201cability to convene the ethics committee at 2 a.m. is very limited, and then it can be a lot of layers to get through at the hospital.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2jyta900013b6mfhaa78i4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Haddock said her association sent a letter to its members encouraging them to advocate for clearer guidance from their own hospitals.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2j3o3g001e336mi7eyv20e@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cAchieving greater clarity on this is really important to make sure physicians feel like they have the protections they need to provide lifesaving medical care,\u201d she added.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmc2koz3r00173b6m4acv92e7@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"clinicians-feel-paralyzed\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        \u2018Clinicians feel paralyzed\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2kmaag000r3b6m1158www3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Specifics have been important when it comes to EMTALA. When it became federal law in 1986, some hospitals refused to care for uninsured women in labor, so in 1989, Congress spelled out that pregnant people who were having contractions had to be given emergency care even if they couldn\u2019t pay for it.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2kmeq7000u3b6mvjt4rj43@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In 2021, guidance from the Biden administration added more specifics, saying it was a doctor\u2019s duty to provide stabilizing treatment that \u201cpreempts any directly conflicting state law or mandate that might otherwise prohibit or prevent such treatment.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2kq1af001b3b6meocyos7j@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            However, it wasn\u2019t until the 2022 guidance that it was spelled out that an abortion had to be provided when necessary.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2km40u000o3b6mubype3cg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The Biden administration guidance was meant to eliminate confusion in states with anti-abortion laws that did not include an exception for the life or health of a pregnant person<strong>,<\/strong> and it stated that federal law preempted the state statutes in the case of such laws.<strong> <\/strong>    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2kly52000l3b6mw1qlsrlc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            That memo was issued just weeks after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that gave pregnant people a constitutional right to an abortion.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2jqnmk00003b6mxz266oke@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            A case before the court last year would have clarified whether federal law requires health care services to provide access to emergency care in every state, regardless of abortion laws, but the high court sent it back to the lower courts. In March, the Trump administration dropped the lawsuit. Some legal experts interpreted that as a signal that the administration would not enforce EMTALA.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2ciiib0006336mtk58a4s5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Even when the 2022 guidance was in place, provider surveys in states that criminalized abortion found that doctors were operating in \u201cchaos and confusion,\u201d said Payal Shah, director of research, legal and advocacy with the Physicians for Human Rights a Nobel Peace Prize-winning medical and human rights organization. Providers were still having a hard time determining whether EMTALA really would protect them if they had to perform an abortion, even in an emergency situation.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2g0m5n000a336mtcas9pj9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cCriminalization causes fear, and then clinicians feel paralyzed,\u201d Shah said. \u201cThey don\u2019t feel like they have the authority to make decisions about reproductive health care in line with their medical judgment and medical ethics and pregnant patients\u2019 preferences. Instead, it becomes a legal decision.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmbznls9i000j336mkgug38bp@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm7w6mvwg004a2cnrg4l6af7u@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"c-AP25063726297685.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"2400\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/c-ap25063726297685.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">People march through 8th Street in downtown Boise, Idaho, on May 3, 2022, in response to the news that the US Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Sarah A. Miller\/Idaho Statesman\/AP\/File<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Trump administration drops lawsuit seeking to ensure abortion access in emergency rooms<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2fjo8s0002336m2kog8lf4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            After the Dobbs decision removed the federal right to an abortion in 2022, some women died after doctors told them it would be a \u201ccrime\u201d to intervene in a miscarriage or they couldn\u2019t access timely medical care. Idaho\u2019s strict abortion law has led some doctors to tell pregnant patients that they should consider buying \u201clife flight insurance\u201d in case a local hospital wouldn\u2019t be able to take care of a pregnancy complication.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2k627v00073b6mgwf465qb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Rescinding the 2022 guidance will probably make stories like these more common, several experts said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2g0m5o000c336mmx4p2m2b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cRescinding this guidance serves no purpose other than to try to strengthen or deepen that confusion,\u201d Shah said. \u201cThis is an attempt to gaslight the American public and to say that criminalization of abortion is working. Criminalization is not working, and that is something the evidence really shows.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznkr1e0008336m2h2fwygr@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, deputy director of the ACLU\u2019s Reproductive Freedom Project, interprets the new HHS letter to mean the law does require emergency abortion care, but she<strong> <\/strong>added that the administration\u2019s actions on the matter \u201chave been reckless at best and outright dangerous at worst.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznkr1e0009336m98iqxz4r@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThe Trump administration is scrambling to clean up a mess entirely of its own making,\u201d Kolbi-Molinas said in an email. \u201cThe law has been clear for forty years: pregnant patients who go to a hospital in medical crisis must receive health- and lifesaving care, regardless of state law. If the administration had not rescinded the previous guidance reaffirming hospitals\u2019 obligations to provide this care earlier this month, there would have been no need to issue Friday\u2019s letter.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc0vfmbr0000336mkf7xcip4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            HHS did not respond to direct questions about what \u201cstabilizing care\u201d meant and whether its interpretation of EMTALA included abortion as stabilizing care. Instead, a spokesperson for the agency sent a link to a June 4 message on X from Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc0vwbo40007336mffj3gaad@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cDon\u2019t believe the spin and fearmongering of the fake news,\u201d the post said. \u201cThe Biden Administration created confusion, but EMTALA is clear and the law has not changed: women will receive care for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and medical emergencies in all fifty states- this has not and will never change in the Trump Administration.\u201d    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder subheader-elevate vossi-subheader vossi-subheader--size-h2\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cmc2ke34h000h3b6mkk8h3wup@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"a-burden-on-doctors-and-patients\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">        A burden on doctors and patients<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2hd509000u336mtoncoxx5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cTo me, this question remains: Why won\u2019t they use the word \u2018abortion\u2019 if they really believe that abortion is sometimes part of emergency medical care for pregnant people?<strong> <\/strong>They won\u2019t do it,\u201d said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2i55dd0014336mijdkkmqu@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIf the Trump administration or Secretary Kennedy truly intended to reassure providers that abortion in the case of a medical emergency, is protected under EMTALA, they would have used those words explicitly as a qualifying example of emergency medical care,\u201d Hart Holder added. \u201cI think it\u2019s a fair assumption to make that even more people are going to die when they\u2019re in emergency situations.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmbznmd9k000n336mxdy98mv8@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmbjbkgw9004726ql5yte56xj@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"AP25155527895864.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6665\" data-original-height=\"1333\" data-original-width=\"2000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap25155527895864.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Kyleigh Thurman, one of the patients who filed a federal complaint against an emergency room for not treating her ectopic pregnancy, talks about her experience at her studio, Aug. 7, 2024, in Burnet County, Texas.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Eric Gay\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">Texas hospital that discharged woman with doomed pregnancy violated the law, a federal inquiry finds<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2h6vpq000r336m8vg93hhm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In the wake of Dobbs, the Kennedy letter presents another potential problem, said reproductive law expert Rolonda Donelson.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2hpm1c000y336mrh5cl2o3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIn the letter, he mentions that EMTALA requires caring for the pregnant woman and their unborn child. Pre-Dobbs, that might not have meant much, but post-Dobbs, with the rise in fetal personhood in state abortion bans, it raises questions on whether the providers in these emergency departments have any duty to the unborn fetus and whether they can provide this emergency stabilizing care when it conflicts with their state abortion ban,\u201d said Donelson, the Huber Reproductive Health Equity Legal Fellow at the National Partnership for Women &amp; Families.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2kbbwb000e3b6mymb85y44@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThis guidance does not provide any clarification. It increases chaos and confusion among patients, providers and everyone on whether they can go into an emergency department if they\u2019re experiencing a medical emergency and receive an abortion as necessary stabilizing care.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmbznkr1e000e336mxv9czh97@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In March, concerned that even more clarity was needed, 88 lawmakers reintroduced a resolution that affirmed EMTALA protects access to emergency abortion care. But even if such a bill were to make its way through Congress, it\u2019s unclear whether Trump would sign it.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2guqa2000l336mr844i6xs@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In the absence of additional legislation, legal experts say, the confusion will continue placing an unfair burden on doctors and patients.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2hkgm1000w336mjmyr1151@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cIt\u2019s unrealistic to have doctors who should be saving patient lives and doing all of those important things to try and also be lawyers and policy advocates and figure out the nitty gritty of what these things mean,\u201d Donelson said.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2jnyfs001l336mxvrfxdvo@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But it\u2019s important for patients to know, she said, that they should go to an emergency room if they are experiencing a medical emergency.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmc2jo4b9001n336mvat9ydqz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThe last thing I would want is a pregant person who is experiencing a medical emergency to think that they won\u2019t be able to get care at a hospital and forgo going and then something bad happen to them.\u201d    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Abortion rights Maternal health Women&#8217;s health See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Link Copied!&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}