Federal Guidance Clarifies Abortion as Emergency Care

Author / Creator

Suran, Melissa

Part of

JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 2022-08, Vol.328 (8), p.699-699

DOI

10.1001/jama.2022.14206

Summary

• New guidance from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirms that anyone in the US can legally receive an abortion if the procedure is necessary to stabilize a patient with an emergency medical condition. This follows President Joe Biden's recent executive order to safeguard access to reproductive care. Issued via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the guidance explains HHS' enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which protects both patients and clinicians in cases of health- or life-saving abortions during a medical emergency.