ER Docs in Abortion Bind as Feds Say US Law Tops States (1)

Confusion among emergency room doctors remains even after the Biden administration clarified this week that federal law allowing abortions in life-or-death situations supersedes any restrictions a state may have on the procedure.

Across the country, the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which ended a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, has rattled physicians who must decide when abortions should be performed under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

The law requires doctors to stabilize or treat pregnant patients who experience a miscarriage or other medical emergency—even if state law prohibits the treatment. The Biden administration July ...