AMHERST, Mass. — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this week means emergency abortions are allowed in Idaho, for now. But a local professor said the language around it doesn’t explain exactly what it is. 

UMass Amherst Professor of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies Laura Briggs said it's really about a person having a miscarriage and how close they are to death before they can receive emergency care.

Idaho was among more than a dozen states who restricted abortion care after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, meaning doctors have not been providing abortions and sending sick patients to another state where the procedure can be performed.

Thursday’s ruling means no state can deny people of emergency care.

"We've been having increasing fights about birth control, about miscarriage care, all in the name of calling it abortion care, but in fact all we've established is that minimally, people who are pregnant are entitled to emergency stabilization,” said Briggs. “It seems like a low bar. And the fact we had to argue about it at all suggests something about the real horror show of debate at this point in this country."

Earlier this week, Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order protecting access to emergency abortion care in the state.