Overview

• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has ruled that Texas hospitals and doctors are not required to perform emergency abortions, despite guidance from the Biden administration.
• The court's decision is based on the interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires hospitals to provide 'necessary stabilizing treatment' for 'emergency medical conditions'.
• The ruling was praised by anti-abortion groups, while others argue it puts women's lives at risk and contradicts the intention of EMTALA.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with two private associations, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, had sued the Department of Health and Human Services over the interpretation of EMTALA.
• The Biden administration may choose to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.