Courts keep weighing in on abortion. Next month’s elections could mean even bigger changes

Two court rulings Monday bolstered abortion opponents, with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Texas could ban emergency abortions if they violate state law and Georgia’s top court allowing enforcement of the abortion ban in that state.

The rulings are the latest in a legal saga that’s been playing out a few rulings at a time across the U.S. for the past two years — since the nation’s top court overturned Roe v. Wade, ended the nationwide right to abortion, and opened the door to bans and restrictions, as well as the new legal fights that followed.

Meanwhile, abortion is also a top concern for voters ahead of next month’s elections, including in nine states where it’s on the ballot directly in the form of state constitutional amendments.

Here are five key things to know about the latest abortion developments across the country.

Texas gets permission to keep barring some emergency abortions

In the fallout of the 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, President Joe Biden’s administration told hospitals that federal law required them to provide abortion services when the life of the pregnant person was at risk.

Texas sued over the policy, saying the federal government could not mandate the right to abortions that would violate the state’s ban at all stages of pregnancy, with exceptions to protect the health and life of the woman. A federal appeals court sided with the state, ruling in January that the administration had overstepped its authority.

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