The Supreme Court has ruled against the Biden administration's attempt to mandate that Texas hospitals offer emergency abortion services.

On August 25, the afternoon sun illuminates the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court's decision that prevents the Biden administration from enforcing its policy in Texas, which mandates hospitals to provide emergency abortion care or face the loss of federal funding.

The justices declined a request from the Justice Department to overturn the lower court's ruling and remand the case for further proceedings. This ruling had invalidated guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services, which stated that federal law requires hospitals to perform abortions in medical emergencies, even in states where the procedure is prohibited.

This decision represents a setback for the Biden administration in its ongoing efforts to secure some level of abortion access following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

On the Supreme Court plaza, a journalist was seen delivering an opinion to a news correspondent as the court issued decisions on July 1, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The recent action also keeps abortion-related cases off the Supreme Court's agenda for the time being, following two significant abortion cases from the previous term, including one from Idaho that raised similar issues to the Texas case.

The Supreme Court's approach to both the Idaho and Texas cases leaves unresolved questions regarding whether federally-funded hospitals are required under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act to provide abortions to emergency patients facing health risks due to pregnancy complications, even in states that prohibit the procedure.

Texas, along with other plaintiffs, successfully challenged the Biden administration's guidance, arguing that EMTALA supersedes state abortion bans. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that blocked the administration from enforcing its policy in Texas.

US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar had urged the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling and direct the lower courts to reassess the case in light of more recent legal developments.