Texans still cannot sue over medical errors found 10 years after a procedure.
The Texas Supreme Court has upheld the law, pointing out that it was enacted to curb liability claims and, as a result, keeps health insurance premiums down.
Critics say the ruling denies patients injured by negligence the right to have their cases heard.
The ruling stems from a case that originated in San Antonio.
Doctors with the Methodist Healthcare System performed a hysterectomy on Emmalene Rankin in 1995.
In 2006 Rankin went to another doctor after having abdominal pain and found a sponge had been left inside her during that operation.
