The lawsuit was initially filed last year by five plaintiffs, but now includes over 20 women who claim their lives were put at risk due to the state's restrictive laws.

Texas currently has several abortion laws in effect that virtually prohibit all abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, which are not clearly defined by the laws. Women involved in the lawsuit allege that they were denied necessary care for dangerous pregnancy complications, despite meeting the criteria for medical emergencies.

While the lawsuit will be allowed to progress in a state trial court, the Supreme Court did not grant a temporary injunction on the bans while the litigation proceeds. In an opinion issued on Friday, the justices pushed back against the claims made by the women, stating that Texas law permits a life-saving abortion in cases where a woman's physical condition is life-threatening.

The court found that the trial court had overstepped its boundaries by allowing abortions in cases of any "unsafe" pregnancy. Justices clarified that the law only permits abortions to address life-threatening conditions arising from a pregnancy and not ordinary risks attendant to pregnancy.

The opinion also highlighted that the trial court's block of the bans as they relate to medical emergencies departed from the written law without constitutional justification. The court emphasized that physicians have the right to perform abortions when exercising reasonable medical judgment in cases where a pregnant woman's life is at risk.

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that it failed to provide clarity for doctors and disregarded the women involved in the lawsuit. Northup asserted that women experiencing life-threatening conditions should have the basic right to protect their life and health through bodily autonomy.

However, the court acknowledged that at least some of the women filing the suit indeed faced life-threatening conditions. This came months after the Texas Supreme Court denied an abortion to Kate Cox, a woman with a severe anomaly pregnancy at large risk of debilitating health complications.

The lead plaintiff in the case, Amanda Zurawski, shared her harrowing experience of going into sepsis after doctors refused to induce her labor due to her fetus still having a heartbeat. Zurawski detailed the physical and emotional toll she endured, emphasizing the need for reproductive autonomy.

As the legal battle continues, advocates for reproductive rights are fighting against the restrictive abortion laws in Texas, while opponents argue for the protection of unborn lives. The outcome of this case will have significant implications for women's reproductive rights in the state and beyond.