What are the exceptions to state abortion bans?

+ UAW backs Biden US Edition - Today's top story: Most state abortion bans have limited exceptions − but it's hard to understand what they mean [View in browser]( US Edition | 26 January 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Soon you’ll be able to buy cars on Amazon]( - [When cancer treatments do more harm than good]( - [Modi, the Moon and the Mac all made it into this week’s news quiz]( Lead story Since the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the federal right to get an abortion, abortion policy has become a messy patchwork of laws that vary state by state. There’s also the question of when restrictive abortion laws and bans actually make exceptions for someone to get an abortion. New abortion restrictions in 21 states are confusing to many people because the state laws’ exceptions use vague language. Take the term a “life-threatening physical condition.” What, exactly, is the threshold for when a health condition definitely becomes life-threatening as opposed to dangerous? [As legal scholars Naomi Cahn and Sonia Suter explain](, there are now lawsuits in Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma and Tennessee seeking clarity on what the states’ abortion laws actually permit. “Even when abortion bans claim to allow exceptions based on medical judgment, physicians – and their patients – know their decisions can be second-guessed and challenged in court,” Cahn and Suter write. [[How faith and religion drive the world. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, This Week in Religion.](] Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor Women who were denied abortions, despite serious pregnancy complications, appear outside the Texas Supreme Court in November 2023, following arguments in a lawsuit they brought against the state. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images [Most state abortion bans have limited exceptions − but it’s hard to understand what they mean]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Sonia Suter, George Washington University Women in Texas and in other states with abortion bans are suing, asking for clarification on when medical exceptions could actually be granted. Economy + Business - [What UAW backing means for Biden − and why the union’s endorsement took so long]( Marick Masters, Wayne State University In close races, support from the United Auto Workers and the rest of organized labor could prove decisive. - [In the market for a car? Soon you’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon − and only a Hyundai]( Vivek Astvansh, McGill University The ‘everything store’ doesn’t offer every type of car, at least not yet. But a pilot program could still be a step toward online auto sales. 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