State laws regarding abortions — and the consequences for physicians who perform them — have seen a number of changes over the past few weeks as state lawmakers and governors continue to wrestle with consequences of the landmark 2022 Dobbs decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Here are four recent updates on abortion laws affecting physicians:
1. A New York court blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from enforcing Texas’ abortion laws in the case of a New York physician who prescribed abortion medication to a 20-year-old patient in Texas via telemedicine, Courthouse News reported March 27. The case represents the first time that a telehealth abortion shield law is being tested in the United States.
2. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a Republican-backed bill that sought to clarify the state’s near-total abortion ban, ABC News reported March 25. Mr. Beshear said that the bill would have the inverse effect of its goal by undermining the judgement of physicians, potentially endangering the lives of pregnant women in emergency situations. According to the report, the bill delves into potential life-or-death situations in an attempt to outline clear guidelines for physicians in emergencies, while maintaining the state’s restrictions on abortion.
3. A preliminary injunction was approved by a court in Indiana that blocks the state’s Department of Health from releasing abortion records to the public. The preliminary injunction follows the expiration of a temporary restraining order issued on Feb. 19 that blocked the department from releasing any termination of pregnancy reports to the public in a contentious physician-led lawsuit.
4. A federal judge ruled March 20 that only physicians at Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke’s Health System can perform abortions during medical emergencies. In a lawsuit filed in January, St. Luke’s — the largest health system in the state — claimed the abortion law’s language is too vague and conflicts with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. On March 20, U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled that only St. Luke’s Health System is protected from state law regarding emergency abortions.