EXPLAINER: Indiana's abortion ban becomes law Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An abortion ban is set to take effect in Indiana, which was the first state to pass one after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

When the law starts being enforced on Thursday, Indiana will join more than a dozen states with abortion bans, though most were approved before that Supreme Court ruling and took effect once the court threw out the constitutional right to end a pregnancy.

West Virginia legislators approved an abortion ban on Tuesday and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced a bill that would ban abortion nationwide after the 15th week of pregnancy, with rare exceptions, intensifying the ongoing debate inside and outside of the GOP though the proposal has almost no chance of becoming law in the Democratic-held Congress.

Abortion rights supporters have filed two lawsuits trying to block Indiana officials from enforcing the ban but no court rulings have been issued yet and all seven of the state's abortion clinics will lose their licenses to perform the procedure under the new law.

WHAT’S COVERED IN THE ABORTION BAN?

The Indiana ban includes exceptions allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest before the 10th week of pregnancy and to protect the mother's life and physical health. It also allows them if the fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. The ban will replace state laws that generally prohibited abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy and tightly restricted it after the 13th week.

Under the new law, abortions can be performed only in hospitals or outpatient centers owned by hospitals, meaning all abortion clinics will lose their licenses. Any doctors found to have performed an illegal abortion would be stripped of their medical license and could face felony charges punishable by up to six years in prison.

HOW IS...