Supreme Court to decide whether hospitals must provide life-saving abortions

Key Facts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear arguments later this year over whether the federal government can require emergency room physicians to perform abortions when the procedure is needed to stabilize a patient.
The justices on Friday agreed to hear arguments later this year over whether the federal government can require emergency room physicians at hospitals that receive Medicare funding to perform abortions when they are needed to stabilize a patient.
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Texas earlier this week, saying the decades-old Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) should not compel doctors in the state to offer abortions when a patient’s life or health is in jeopardy.
The other concerns federal regulation of abortion pills, which are used in more than half of abortions nationwide, and a decision could impact whether and where the drugs are available even in states that have voted to protect their use.