Catholic Medical Association v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al.
What's at Stake
On behalf of Doctors for America, the ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ and several partner organizations are intervening to vigorously defend pregnant patients' right to receive, and for physicians to provide, health- and life-saving abortion care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). This federal law has required hospitals with emergency departments to provide stabilizing treatment, including abortion, to patients experiencing medical emergencies for nearly four decades.
Summary
For nearly 40 years, EMTALA has been understood by medical providers and the federal government — including both Democratic and Republican administrations — to require abortion care when that care is needed to stabilize pregnant patients in a medical crisis. Stripping away EMTALA’s protections would jeopardize patients' lives and force to violate their sworn duty to prevent harm.
In May 2025, the ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ with its partners at Democracy Forward, the ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ of Tennessee, and the National Women's Law Center, filed to intervene on behalf of Doctors for America in Catholic Medical Association v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al., which challenges EMTALA guidance issued in 2022 that reaffirms EMTALA’s protections for pregnant people, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee Nashville Division.
Legal Documents
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05/30/2025
Motion to Intervene and Brief of Defendant Intervenor Doctors for America
Date Filed: 05/30/2025
Court: The United States District Court For the Middle District of Tennessee
Affiliate: Tennessee
Press Releases
Trump Administration Rescinds EMTALA Guidance and Sends Clear Signal: Emergency Abortion Care Remains At Risk
Coalition Acts to Protect Pregnant Patients’ Federal Right to Emergency Care, Including Abortion