Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor questioned Wednesday when Idaho’s extreme law would allow emergency abortion care

The women on the Supreme Court appeared to band together Wednesday during oral arguments in a case out of Idaho that could shape how hospitals in Republican-led states respond to life-threatening pregnancy complications.

Even conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic abortion opponent, had some fierce inquiries for Idaho Solicitor General Joshua Turner, who refused to specify what medical conditions qualify for emergency abortions.

“Counsel, I’m kind of shocked actually because I thought your own expert had said below that these kinds of cases were covered. And you’re now saying they’re not?” Barrett said.

Wednesday’s case involves a ruling on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, a Reagan-era law that bars hospitals that accept Medicare from turning away anybody suffering from a medical emergency, requiring they provide stabilizing treatment or safe transport to a facility if they are unable to perform the procedure.

  • Flying Squid
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    152 months ago

    I think even most Catholics are not against abortion in the case of a medical emergency. Although she’s so devout that it’s a bit surprising.

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      272 months ago

      Catholics are like cats, they are all supposedly the same but hold no real standard ideology. Some Catholic circles are super against abortion, some simply don’t care. Protestant branches are way more ideologically standardized.

      Catholicism for most followers is kind of like brunch, you pick and choose which parts you want.

      • @[email protected]
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        fedilink
        112 months ago

        Catholics are like cats, they are all supposedly the same but hold no real standard ideology.

        Catholicism for most followers is kind of like brunch, you pick and choose which parts you want.

        I love those analogys.