Supreme Court Begins New Term with Significant Impacts on Abortion Rights

Significant Impact of Supreme Court Decisions on Abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court kicked off its new term on Monday with a consequential decision. The court rejected a Biden administration appeal of a lower court's ruling that bars emergency abortions in Texas that violate its restrictive law. The Biden administration unsuccessfully argued Texas hospitals had to perform emergency abortions under federal law, which is seen as less restrictive.

Upcoming Cases That Could Shape Health and Rights

One of the cases that will be argued this term is Garland v. VanDerStok. At issue is whether ghost guns, which were restricted in 2022, can be banned. Ghost guns are guns that can be assembled at home from kits sold online and currently lack traditional serial numbers.

Another major hearing will be held in the Free Speech v. Paxton case, which involves age verification of pornographic websites. This challenges a Texas law that strives to prevent minors from accessing sexual content online, requiring any website where one-third of its content is harmful to minors to verify that every user is at least 18.

The third high-profile case is U.S. v. Skrmetti. It asks justices whether Tennessee can ban sex-transition treatments for minors. Some have noted this as the biggest case on the docket right now.

Additionally, there is always a chance that the biggest case this term has yet to make it to the court. Challenges regarding the potential sale of TikTok could reach the Supreme Court within months, and the court might also have to weigh in during a challenged election.