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Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Despite Trump directive, emergency abortion care is still a legal right
In the days since the Trump administration rescinded federal guidance tied to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, EMTALA, a wave of alarming headlines has swept across social media: 'Trump just made it legal for hospitals to let pregnant people die.' 'Emergency rooms can now refuse life-saving abortion care.' As a clinician, I know that isn't true. As a reproductive health strategist, I know those headlines are dangerous. And we all know what happens next: confusion, delay, and harm. Let's be clear — EMTALA is still in effect. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act requires hospitals to provide stabilizing emergency care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. That includes emergency abortion when it's the necessary treatment to prevent serious harm or death, even in states with abortion bans. What was rescinded is the Biden-era guidance — a post-Roe clarification that reinforced these obligations and gave clinicians added protections in legally ambiguous states. Without it, hospitals and providers are left to navigate complexity and risk on their own. And in emergency medicine, hesitation can be deadly. When a provider has to stop and ask, 'Will I get sued or arrested for doing what I know is right?' that delay can cost a life. Complications can escalate in minutes. And legal fear, not clinical doubt, can make even experienced clinicians pause. We don't need to wait for another preventable tragedy. We need to act now. We must correct the fear-based narrative and demand clarity and courage from our hospitals. More opinion: Elon Musk-Trump spat on X is a distraction from the failures of DOGE Well meaning advocates and organizations have flooded timelines with warnings suggesting emergency abortion care is no longer available. The fear is valid. But the messaging is misleading, and that matters. When headlines tell the public that hospitals are 'allowed to let women die,' we create a different kind of emergency — one rooted in mistrust. Patients internalize those messages. They begin to doubt the health care system. They wonder if anyone will help them. Some bleed at home instead of going to the ER. I've already heard from patients who are scared to seek emergency care because they believe hospitals will turn them away. That fear isn't irrational — it's the natural outcome of a system that has failed too many women, including Amber Nicole Thurman, who died in Georgia after being denied abortion care during a miscarriage. Her story is one of several that underscore just how high the stakes are. And it affects health care providers too. When social media, national news and even advocacy organizations circulate panic without context, our instinct is to pause and wonder if the legal ground has shifted again. In medicine, uncertainty delays care. And in emergency medicine, that delay can be fatal. Here's what's still true: EMTALA is still in effect. Hospitals are still required to provide abortion when it's the necessary emergency treatment. Patients still have the right to receive stabilizing care. But rights only matter if people trust they can use them, and clinicians can only act if they trust their institutions will back them up. We must sound the alarm, but we cannot afford to fuel panic. Because fear doesn't just spread — it paralyzes. And that paralysis costs lives. While courts and lawmakers dominate the headlines, we must remember that hospital systems are power players, too. They're institutions with boards, reputations, legal teams and responsibility. Every hospital in the U.S. — especially those in abortion-restricted states — should be urgently reviewing their EMTALA protocols, issuing clear guidance to staff and publicly affirming that abortion will be provided when medically necessary. Silence from leadership isn't neutrality. It's complicity — and it's deadly. Providers need to know they'll be protected for doing their jobs. Patients need to know their care won't be delayed by legal ambiguity. The moment of crisis is not the time to call a lawyer or fumble through a policy binder. Hospitals must act before the next emergency, not after. We have a constitutional mandate. Let's lead like it. In 2022, Michigan voters passed Proposal 3 by a wide margin, enshrining the right to reproductive freedom, including abortion, into our state constitution. That makes this moment even easier for our hospitals — a no-brainer, if you will. We have legal clarity. We have the public mandate. Now we have a responsibility to lead by example for the rest of the country. We've seen what happens when hospitals fail to lead. A ProPublica investigation in Texas found that after the state's abortion ban took effect, the sepsis rate among pregnant patients in Houston surged by 63%. In Dallas — where hospitals empowered doctors to act — it rose by just 29%. The difference? Hospital policy. Some institutions supported their clinicians. Others left them to weigh legal risk against patient safety. People suffered. Some died. Michigan's hospitals don't face the same legal barriers. We've enshrined reproductive rights into our constitution. The only question now is whether our institutions will rise to meet this moment — not just for Michiganders, but as a model for the nation. We have the opportunity to set a precedent of leadership. Of valor. Of honoring the Hippocratic Oath and protecting half of our population. This is a chance to show that when legal clarity and public support align, health systems don't hesitate — they lead. To Corewell Health, Henry Ford Health, Trinity Health Michigan, McLaren Health Care, Michigan Medicine and the Detroit Medical Center: this is your moment. Issue clear EMTALA guidance. Protect your providers. Affirm your commitment to emergency abortion care loudly and publicly. And to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Michigan has already set a national example by enshrining reproductive freedom into our state constitution. Now, we need your leadership again. Issue state-based guidance that reinforces EMTALA protections and directs hospitals to act swiftly and decisively when patients need life-saving abortion care. Then go one step further. Call on your fellow governors, especially in states where abortion is banned. Governors like Andy Beshear in Kentucky. If they said they were 'sending it back to the states,' then let's show them what the states can do. Let's show the country what leadership looks like when it centers care, not politics. Because silence is not safety, and neutrality is not leadership. More opinion: Democrats better hope Michigan Gov. Whitmer changes her mind about presidential run If you're reading this from another state, you're not powerless. Call your local hospital and ask if they have clear EMTALA guidance for emergency pregnancy care. Push your lawmakers to require transparency and protect providers. Share accurate information — panic spreads fast, but facts save lives. Support front-line providers who are navigating unclear laws with courage. Even without constitutional protections, your voice can demand clarity, accountability and care. Hospitals everywhere need to hear it. Nikki Vinckier is an OBGYN physician assistant, reproductive rights advocate and founder of Take Back Trust, a national patient education platform helping people navigate and protect their reproductive health care. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Emergency abortion still a legal right despite Trump move | Opinion
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Texas Senate passes bill to define the difference between man and woman based on reproductive organs. Check details
In a significant development, the Texas Senate has passed a bill requiring the state to strictly define man and woman based on reproductive organs on a 20-11 party line vote. The bill has already passed the House and will go now to the governor's desk, reports The NewsWeek. The move was welcomed by champaigners as a win for "truth and reality" and one that protects single sex spaces such as locker rooms. But advocates for LGBTQ rights said the bill is harmful to the lives of trans people, who will face greater marginalization and discrimination as a result. If this bill becomes law, more than 120,000 trans Texans would be forced to be defined in state records by the sex they were assigned at birth, rather than the gender they identify as, even if they've already legally changed their birth certificates and driver's licenses. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks Undo ALSO READ: Elon Musk-Trump bromance over? Tesla CEO's first major public disagreement with President sparks buzz What does the bill say? According to Texas Tribune, House Bill 229 says "a woman is an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova, while a man is someone whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova". The bill would require that this definition be used across state statute, with potentially wide-ranging consequences for trans and intersex people who would see their gender identity reverted back to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records. Live Events The Texas Senate has passed HB 229, known as the "Women's Bill of Rights," with a vote of 20 to 11. The bill now heads to Republican Governor Greg Abbott for his signature. If signed into law, the legislation would require state documents—including birth certificates and driver's licenses—to record individuals' sex as assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity. "The message is clear: You don't mess with Texas women," said M. E. Castle, director of government relations for Texas Values, a Christian advocacy group, in a statement posted to X. "HB 229 makes sure that the reality and truth of the two sexes is clear in Texas law and never altered by school districts, local cities, or bureaucrats ever again! ALSO READ: Inside The Handmaid's Tale series finale: Elisabeth Moss reflects on show's ending, says 'I can't imagine...' "With today's vote in the Senate, Texas will lay the foundation for protecting women's spaces and opportunities." The bill was introduced by State Representative Ellen Troxclair and sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Mayes Middleton, both Republicans. It aligns closely with executive orders issued by former President Donald Trump on the same issue. Trump has advocated for reinstating a biological definition of sex , particularly emphasizing the exclusion of transgender women from women's and girls' sports to maintain what he describes as competitive fairness. State Senator José Menéndez, a Democrat, criticized the legislation as 'state-sponsored discrimination.' 'If a law forces non-binary Texans—real people—into categories that don't reflect their lived experiences or identities, that amounts to discrimination in practice,' Menéndez told the Texas Tribune. ALSO READ: Why Melania Trump's $40 million documentary deal with Amazon has sent Hollywood into a tizzy Trump threatens to hold federal fund California Trump had also threatened to withhold 'large scale' federal funding from California if it allowed a transgender student-athlete to compete in girls' state championships. 'THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' he wrote on Truth Social. California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.' This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend. As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it is 'UNFAIR.' I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!! ALSO READ: Thousands could lose SNAP benefits under 'big, beautiful bill' in state Trump won by 1% He further warned: 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.' The executive order, referencing Title IX—the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination—requires all recipients of federal funds to bar transgender women and girls from participating in female sports categories.
