Clarification of medical necessity for abortion and exceptions in cases of rape or incest

is necessary, or advised by two other physicians as necessary, to save the life of the mother; and, unless an emergency prevents, is performed in a licensed maternity hospital. The statute does not further define the phrase “to save the life of the mother.” The bill amends this statute by specifying that the circumstances under which the therapeutic abortion exception applies are: 1) when pregnancy is contraindicated due to a serious risk of death of the pregnant woman or of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the woman; or 2) in any circumstance in which the fetus has no chance of survival, including a physical condition of the fetus that makes survival of the fetus outside of the uterus not possible, an anembryonic pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy, or a molar pregnancy.

The bill also provides that the phrase “destroy the life” or “destroys the life” as used in the statute does not include removal of a fetus that no longer has a heartbeat. The bill further provides that the section does not apply to any pregnancy in the first trimester if the pregnancy is the result of sexual assault or incest.