Washington Governor Jay Inslee has issued a directive requiring the state Department of Health to affirm that hospitals in Washington have a legal requirement to provide emergency abortion services.
Inslee’s directive comes as the nation nears the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on another case known as Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States. The case out of Idaho would allow politicians to jail emergency room doctors for providing emergency abortion care.
If the high court rules in favor of Idaho, health officials say it could undermine a long-standing federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act which has required hospitals to provide necessary emergency treatment to all patients, including abortion care.
Current Washington law requires hospitals within the state to provide necessary emergency health care to all patients based on nationally recognized standards of care, including emergency abortion care. Governor Inslee’s directive requires the state Department of Health to issue policy guidance that clarifies hospitals’ legal obligations and affirms that state law remains unchanged regardless of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling.
