The Supreme Court declined to hear a Biden administration appeal in a Texas case regarding emergency room abortion care, leaving a lower court ruling in favor of the state in place. The decision is a setback for the administration, as it leaves unresolved the question of whether a federal law concerning emergency room care supersedes state abortion restrictions. The 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act requires hospitals receiving federal funding to provide appropriate emergency care, including to pregnant women with serious complications. The Biden administration issued guidance stating that states cannot enforce abortion bans that conflict with this federal law, leading to litigation in Texas and Idaho. The Supreme Court previously sidestepped a ruling in the Idaho case, leaving a lower court decision allowing emergency room doctors to perform abortions in some situations in place. In Texas, a federal judge ruled against the administration, saying it had overstepped its authority with the guidance, a decision upheld on appeal. The administration asked the Supreme Court to hold the case until the Idaho dispute was decided, but the Court declined. The Solicitor General urged the Court to reconsider the appeals court ruling in light of new developments.
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