I have heard the phrase “...rape, incest, and to save the mother’s life...” many times. The first two I understand. Could someone with medical knowledge explain to me what conditions require an abortion to save a mother’s life?
IANAD, but one condition which could kill the mother is an ectopic pregnancy. In that case, the baby starts to develop in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus where it normally would. AIUI, the condition would be fatal to both the mother and the baby if an abortion were not performed.
A very strange one: My wife turned out to be “allergic” to pregnancy. During the entire pregnancy she was extremely nauseous - unable to keep food down, etc. Apparently it was caused by her own hormones. Only some newly introduced (and expensive!) anti-nausea meds allowed her to carry to term; she was till miserably sick the entire time. If it had happened a little earlier...