Hospitals cited for breaking federal law by denying emergency abortion.

Hospitals in Missouri and Kansas violated federal law by refusing to provide an emergency abortion to a woman who went into premature labor at nearly 18 weeks and risked developing a life-threatening infection, according to initial findings in a government investigation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The investigation underscores the persistent legal confusion in several states that ban abortions but carve out exceptions when a patient's life is at risk. The Health and Human Services Department's CMS found that Farmer's treatment at both hospitals violated a federal law known as Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act, which requires that hospitals provide stabilizing care to patients showing up in emergency rooms.