Staff Reports
A group of federal appellate judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a major victory to pro-life advocates this week by unanimously ruling against the Biden Administration’s aggressive push to make emergency doctors perform abortions. The court firmly stated that the government cannot strong-arm Texas doctors into providing abortion services in emergency situations.
The legal battle stemmed from a guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in July 2022, which attempted to force doctors in states like Texas to comply with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), a 1986 federal law that purportedly mandated abortion provision by emergency room physicians. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and pro-life organizations stood up to the Biden Administration’s overreach, arguing that the guidance was an abuse of executive power.
Great News: Another federal court rejects Biden regime's efforts to force doctors and hospitals to kill unborn human beings. https://t.co/Y8FMGg7k07
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 3, 2024
The three-judge panel, all appointed by Republican presidents, vehemently rebuffed the Biden Administration’s attempt to expand the scope of EMTALA, proclaiming that the law does not require physicians to perform abortions. The panel firmly asserted that EMTALA does not grant an absolute right for expectant mothers to terminate their pregnancies, especially since the law imposes equal stabilization obligations on medical professionals.
This legal triumph is especially significant in Texas, as the state has enacted a stringent abortion ban following the Supreme Court’s monumental decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Texas’ current abortion law strictly limits abortion to cases where the mother’s life is at risk or if the pregnancy is causing substantial harm to her major bodily functions.
The resounding victory for pro-life advocates in Texas has dealt a severe blow to the Biden Administration’s relentless efforts to coerce doctors and hospitals into facilitating the termination of unborn human lives. This ruling serves as a powerful reinforcement of the sanctity of life and a resounding defeat to the pro-abortion agenda pushed by the current administration.
