“It appears to me that he is referencing each “individual case” as a potential “exception”.”
Not buying it. If Paul simply meant that ectopic pregnancies were a valid exception, or simply that a condition which threatened the life of the mother were an exception, then there would have been absolutely no need for him to make the statement you quoted. There’s nothing particular about one ectopic pregnancy versus another that would require a special exemption for some and not others.
When he says that everything is particular to the individual case, then he opens the door to any doctor being able to approve an abortion for any reason at all. Only the doctor and the mother know their individual circumstances, and our medical privacy laws really prevent anyone else from knowing them, so it would be impossible for any pro-life law to have a significant effect if we base it on that standard.
I’m not mind-reading here; he is using the same language that all the wishy-washy politicians use when they are really pro-choice but want to appear pro-life. Name any blue dog dem elected in a red state, or RINO elected in the suburbs of a blue city, and I’m sure I could find a similar quote from them.