The Supreme Court hears oral arguments over whether the Biden administration has the power to penalize hospitals that fail to provide abortions in emergency situations. The case, Moyle v. United States, centers on a federal law mandating that hospitals that receive federal funds must stabilize or transfer patients in need of emergency care. Biden officials have used the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act — known as EMTALA — to override state abortion restrictions in situations where they say women needed emergency care. Conservatives argue the law does not does not reference abortion specifically and that the White House is wrongly applying the statute.

This case marks the latest frontier for the abortion rights debate in a post-Roe world. The Biden administration began using EMTALA in late 2021 to attempt to protect access to abortion in limited emergency situations, and strengthened that effort after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The White House has lost twice in federal appeals court. If the Supreme Court rules against the Biden administration, it could change how states apply the federal emergency-care law, potentially in situations beyond abortion. Read more: https://wapo.st/3WveSun. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube: https://wapo.st/2QOdcqK

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