Statement from Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, on HHS EMTALA-portal for Spanish speakers

“We welcome the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ announcement of a new portal for Spanish speakers to report if they have been denied emergency care entitled to them under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). This portal is a long-awaited and necessary tool to ensure the rights of people seeking health care, including abortion care, especially after the Supreme Court fell short of upholding protections for pregnant patients. It’s critical that our communities can share their concerns in the language they’re most comfortable speaking to ensure that our healthcare system is working for everyone.

“Far too many pregnant people have been denied emergency abortion care because of state abortion bans. The same people who are the most affected by restrictions on abortion, including Latinas/xs, immigrants, and other communities of color, also visit emergency rooms at higher rates because of long-standing systemic barriers to health care. Under EMTALA, they are still entitled to the emergency care they need to protect their health and lives, but anti-abortion politicians and judges won’t stop trying to deny them this care. No one should be denied care in a medical emergency, no matter who they are or where they live.

“The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice will continue to build power in Latino/x communities across the country and work to secure the federal right to abortion so that everyone has access to the health care they need. We will not stop until we create a country with true reproductive freedom for all.”