Overview

• Texas Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging the state's near-total abortion ban, particularly its application in medically complicated pregnancies.
• The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argues that the law's medical exception is unclear, leading to delayed or denied care.
• The state argues that the judge overstepped her constitutional bounds by expanding the medical emergency exceptions beyond what the Legislature intended.
• The case represents the first time since before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 that women affected by state abortion bans have directly challenged those laws in court.
• The number of plaintiffs in the lawsuit has more than tripled since it was originally filed in March, and similar suits have been filed in Tennessee, Idaho and Oklahoma.