President Trump sparked concerns amongst progressives after he issued an order rescinding a Biden order that required emergency rooms to perform abortions. The order dealt with the interpretation of EMTALA, which was passed in 1986. EMTALA mandated that all hospitals that participate in Medicare must provide medical services to all people in emergency situations. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Biden administration released guidance that this included abortions, meaning states that banned abortion after Roe v. Wade could still be forced to provide abortions through emergency services. “Under the law, no matter where you live, women have the right to emergency care — including abortion care. Protecting both patients and providers is a top priority, particularly in this moment. Health care must be between a patient and their doctor, not a politician. We will continue to leverage all available resources at HHS to make sure women can access the life-saving care they need,” said Biden’s HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra.

Abortion advocates were quick to condemn the order. “The Trump Administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions. In pulling back guidance, this administration is feeding the fear and confusion that already exists at hospitals in every state where abortion is banned. Hospitals need more guidance, not less, to stop them from turning away patients experiencing pregnancy crises,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. According to The Associated Press, its own investigation had found that even with the Biden administration’s guidance, “dozens of pregnant women were being turned away from emergency rooms, including some who needed emergency abortions.”

The case of Georgia woman, Amber Thurman, sparked debates about anti-abortion laws. Thurman, who was six weeks pregnant, traveled to North Carolina to obtain mifepristone, better known as the abortion pill, as Georgia’s heartbeat bill did not permit abortions after 6 weeks. Thurman later suffered complications from the pill after not all of the fetal tissue was expelled from her uterus. She developed an infection, leading her to be hospitalized in Georgia. Doctors, however, did not perform a dilation and curettage or D&C, which is an operation to remove tissue from the uterus. Doctors did not perform the D&C due to concerns that it might violate state law. Thurman later died and her death was ruled “preventable.” Abortion supporters cited the incident as the first preventable death from anti-abortion laws while prolife advocates stated a D&C would not have been illegal under Georgia law and accused Thurman’s doctors of malpractice.

Allie Beth Stuckey addressed the rule change on her show “Relatable” and pushed back on the idea that the rule change would endanger women. “You have probably seen headlines going around, especially on Instagram, saying that Trump is now letting hospitals allow women to die, women who need these life-saving abortions we hear are now going to bleed out and die because of Trump’s draconian and cruel anti-abortion policies,” she said, stated the accusations were “not true.”