In Texas case, federal appeals panel says emergency care abortions not required by 1986 law

A federal appeals court in New Orleans says the Biden administration cannot use a 1986 emergency care law to require that Texas hospitals provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to pregnancy. The administration had issued guidance saying hospitals “must” provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk, citing a 1986 law that requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment for anyone who arrives at the emergency room. The ruling affects use of the federal guidance in Texas. Another court has allowed use of the guidance to continue in an Idaho case, now pending at the U.S. Supreme Court.