Conservative states look to eliminate all exceptions for abortion, including rape, incest

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Angela Housley was halfway through her pregnancy when she learned the fetus was developing without parts of its brain and skull and would likely die within hours or days of birth if it survived that long.The news came during her 20-week ultrasound."The technician got a really horrible look on her face," Housley said. "And we got the really sad news that our baby was anencephalic."It was 1992 and abortion was legal in Idaho, though she had to dodge anti-abortion protesters outside the Boise hospital after the procedure.

If the same scenario were to happen later this year, she would likely be forced to carry to term.That’s because Idaho, which bans abortion after six weeks, is one of at least 22 states with laws banning abortion before the 15th week, many of them lacking exceptions for fetal viability, rape or incest, or even the health of the woman.

Several of those bans would take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, as a leaked draft of the opinion suggests.Such exceptions were once regularly included in even the most conservative anti-abortion proposals.

But as the battle over abortion access heats up, experts on both sides of the issue say the exceptions were a temporary stepping stone intended to make anti-abortion laws more palatable.Many of the current abortion bans are designed as "trigger laws," automatically going into effect if the high court overturns the nationwide right to abortion.