Texas abortionists appeal to U.S. Supreme Court

Abortion businesses in Texas are pushing for the ability to conduct drug-induced abortions despite the coronavirus pandemic. They filed an emergency motion on Saturday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court order so they can keep dispensing abortion pills. The businesses sued after Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, demanded last month a stop to nonessential medical procedures, including most abortions, to conserve resources to fight COVID-19.

What’s allowed now? Texas law protects infants from surgical abortion after 22 weeks of gestation and from drug-induced abortion after 10 weeks. A panel of judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled women could get an abortion only if they would pass the 22-week cutoff by the time the executive order expires on April 22. Alabama, Ohio, and Oklahoma are in similar fights with abortionists.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Hickman’s report in Vitals about the risks of drug-induced abortions, especially during a pandemic.