Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's Health System has seen a steep increase in the number of patients requiring medical flights out of state for emergency abortions this year, NPR reported April 26.
The increase coincides with the Supreme Court lifting a hold on Idaho's ban on emergency abortions in January. Last year, when the measure was paused by a federal court, the health system transported one patient out of state for an emergency pregnancy termination. In the first three months of 2024, St. Luke's has airlifted six patients to neighboring states.
Under Idaho's abortion ban, physicians are permitted to terminate pregnancies only when a mother's life is at risk. On April 24, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether EMTALA preempts the state's abortion ban in certain emergency circumstances.
St. Luke's Chief Physician Jim Souza, MD, said physicians often struggle to interpret the ban and determine when to intervene, fearing legal repercussions.
"When the guessing game gets too uncomfortable, we transfer the patients out at a very high cost to another state where the doctors are allowed to practice medicine," Dr. Souza said during a media call last week. He argued the helicopter transfers result in care delays, are a wasteful use of hospital resources and threaten patient outcomes.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador disputed St. Luke's numbers and suggested the health system was airlifting patients out of state "just to make a political statement" during an April 24 press conference.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by this summer.