Texas Pro-Life Law Upheld by Supreme Court

Preborn children and families alike can rejoice in Texas today as the Supreme Court voted in favor of a lower court ruling that will keep an important pro-life law in operation.

The lower court had rejected efforts by pro-abortion groups to expand exceptions in the law that currently permit abortions only to save the mother’s life, denying a broader “health exception” that would allow abortions on demand.

The Texas Supreme Court unanimously dismissed requests to weaken the pro-life law.

In their ruling, the court stated, “Texas law permits a life-saving abortion,” emphasizing that physicians can intervene when a woman’s life is at risk, using their reasonable medical judgment.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Bowman praised the decision, asserting that hospitals, particularly emergency rooms, must prioritize preserving life.

“Hospitals—especially emergency rooms—are tasked with preserving life. For this reason, the 5th Circuit correctly ruled that federal bureaucrats have no business compelling doctors or hospitals to end unborn lives.”

Bowman argued that federal authorities shouldn’t compel doctors to perform abortions, which end the lives of preborn children.

He went on to state how emergency physicians are equipped to handle life-threatening conditions like ectopic pregnancies, and how elective abortions do not constitute life-saving care.

”Doctors shouldn’t be forced to break the Hippocratic Oath, and they shouldn’t have to choose between violating their deeply held beliefs or facing stiff financial penalties and being barred from the Medicare program.”

The court clarified that Texas law allows for abortions when a pregnancy threatens a mother’s life or risks significant impairment of her bodily functions, provided it aligns with a doctor’s reasonable medical judgment.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute filed an amicus brief in support of Texas’ pro-life laws outlining the longstanding application of the reasonable medical judgment standard across various areas of medicine in state and federal law.

Along with the Charlotte Lozier Institute was Susan B. Anthony, both of whom submitted written and verbal comments to the Texas Medical Board.

The lawsuit challenging the Texas law was brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of 13 women and two doctors, who claimed confusion over the law prevented them from receiving necessary care.

Previously, a ruling by Judge Jessica Mangrum had temporarily altered the Texas abortion ban, allowing doctors more discretion in defining medical emergencies. However, the state high court’s decision has fully overturned this injunction, reaffirming the state’s pro-life protections.

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