U.S. appeals court lets Texas curb medication abortions during pandemic

A U.S. appeals court on Monday allowed Texas to enforce curbs on medication-induced abortions as part of the Republican-governed state's restrictions aimed at postponing medical procedures not deemed urgent during the coronavirus pandemic. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a federal judge's order blocking the state from applying restrictions to abortions induced through medication, in the early stages of a pregnancy.

Texas is one of several conservative states that have tried to impose limits on abortion during the pandemic, saying they are seeking to ensure that medical resources including protective equipment are available to help healthcare facilities cope with people with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. Abortion rights advocates have accused the states of political opportunism by using the pandemic to advance anti-abortion policies.