The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear oral arguments on whether Texas' abortion ban violates the federal Emergency Medical Care Act, allowing the Lone Star State's abortion ban to remain in place.
Supreme Court justices have so far upheld a lower court ruling that Texas hospitals can refuse to terminate certain emergency pregnancies in violation of state law, despite the federal government's request.
The Biden administration had asked the judge to overturn the lower court's ruling, arguing that federal law requires hospitals to provide abortions in emergency situations. They cited last term when the Supreme Court allowed emergency room abortions to continue in Idaho while the case continued in federal court. They argue that Texas' law is different from Idaho's because Texas has a health exception for pregnant patients.
Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to medical exception to state's abortion ban
The United States Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC is the seat of the United States Supreme Court and the judicial branch of government. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
A legal battle in Texas centers on whether the Emergency Medical Labor and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals to treat emergencies, overrides state law banning abortions in emergencies. The case focuses on whether states can block emergency physicians from performing abortions if necessary to stabilize a pregnant woman's health.
Prior to this, the Texas Supreme Court in June ruled against a group of women who suffered severe pregnancy complications, making it the first in the country to access abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. She became the first woman in the country to testify in court about her refusal.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin. Friday, September 20, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In a unanimous decision, the court upheld the Texas law after women filed a lawsuit seeking clarity on when exceptions to the abortion ban would be granted in March 2023. They argued that it was confusing for doctors, who could potentially refuse patients because of this.
The court ultimately ruled that the exception to the law was sufficiently broad that a doctor would misunderstand the law if he decided not to perform an abortion when the mother's life was in danger. I put it down.
With the SCOTUS decision coming just a month before Election Day, abortion has become a major focus for the Harris-Waltz campaign.
FOX News' Landon Mion, Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
