Congressman Westerman Joins Brief Opposing Biden Administration’s Pro-Abortion Overreach

On Tuesday U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR — 04) joined 120 other congressmen and U.S. senators in an amicus brief opposing the Biden Administration’s federal pro-abortion overreach.

The amicus brief is part of a U.S. Supreme Court case over the Biden Administration’s recent attempts to require emergency rooms to perform abortions under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). Family Council joined a similar amicus brief in the case on Monday.

EMTALA is a decades old law signed by President Ronald Reagan. It is designed to ensure people are able to receive emergency care even if they are unable to pay.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently issued a letter and guidance reinterpreting EMTALA to require doctors and hospitals to perform abortions or transfer the woman to another facility for an abortion when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother — even if the abortion would be illegal under state law.

Health exceptions for abortion are notoriously vague and can actually permit abortion on demand in many cases. That’s why states like Arkansas limit abortion to situations where the mother’s life is at risk instead of using a broader “health” exception. Forcing states to make “health” exceptions for abortion under EMTALA poses a serious problem.

In a statement to Family Council, Congressman Westerman said,

“The Biden Administration’s recent guidance on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act was not made with the best interests of mothers in mind, and rather is a political loophole to allow more abortions. The original intent of the EMTALA is to protect patients and protect the lives of mothers and children, the law itself has no mention of abortion. The issue of Idaho’s Defense of Life Act is consistent with the original guidance of EMTALA, and I look forward to the Supreme Court reviewing this case and setting the record straight.”

The Biden Administration simply has no business reinterpreting federal law to turn emergency rooms into abortion facilities. Family Council appreciates Congressman Westerman and his colleagues taking a stand against this pro-abortion agenda.

You can read the amicus brief here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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