The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined Biden’s administration an appeal, regarding emergency abortions in Texas, allowing the state to bar the procedure.
According to the Associated Press, the justice didn’t detail their reasoning and upheld a lower court order that said hospitals cannot be required to provide emergency abortions that would violate Texas law, which has one of the country’s strictest abortion bans.
The Biden administration had requested the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s decision, arguing that federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency abortions. The administration highlighted a previous case in Idaho, where emergency abortions were allowed to continue.
The state argued Texas law, unlike Idaho’s, allows exceptions when a pregnant patient’s health is at risk, aligning it with federal rules. However, many doctors and patients alike have argued Texas law is too vague, as medical authorities haven’t clarified which conditions qualify for these exceptions.
Following the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion restrictions were introduced in many Republican-led states, including Texas. In response, the Biden administration advised hospitals to perform abortions during emergencies, citing federal healthcare regulations. Texas sued over this guidance, arguing it was inconsistent with state law. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Texas, stating that the federal government had overstepped its authority.
Since the ruling, there have been increasing reports of pregnant patients being turned away from Texas emergency rooms, even when their life is in danger, due to fears that providing standard care might violate the strict abortion bans. Typically, terminating pregnancies is part of standard medical care for patients experiencing severe health complications, like sepsis or organ failure.
In addition, Axios reported that the state’s strict abortion ban has been linked to a spike in infant mortalities by over 10% in 2022.
