Texas sues Biden administration over guidance directed at reproductive care for emergency room patients
CNN
Texas filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging actions taken by the Biden administration in the wake of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade reversal -- actions that Texas alleges illegally preempts the state's abortion laws.
Texas is challenging recent guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services -- released Monday after an executive order by President Joe Biden last week -- asserting that federal law preempts state abortion restrictions when emergency care is needed and that the federal government can penalize institutions or providers that fail to provide abortions necessary for treating medical emergencies.
Texas argues that the law in question -- the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act -- does not give the federal government the authority to force health care providers to perform abortions. The law sets standards for the treatment emergency patients must receive at certain health care facilities and threatens civil penalties, as well as loss of the Medicare or Medicaid funding, for violations.