EXPLAINER: States scramble as US abortion landscape shifts

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Almost three months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the landscape of abortion access is still shifting significantly in some states, sometimes very quickly.

Changing restrictions and litigation in neighboring Indiana and Ohio this week illustrate the whiplash for providers and patients navigating sudden changes in what is allowed where.

Sister clinics who just weeks ago were sending patients from Ohio, where most abortions were banned, to Indiana, where the procedure was allowed, have now flip-flopped roles after the two states' access restrictions reversed, at least temporarily.

Here is a deeper look at the current state of the shifting national landscape:

WHAT CHANGED THIS WEEK?

An Ohio judge blocked enforcement on Wednesday of the state's ban on most abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected. The ban had been in effect since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe on June 24. The judge's action allows abortions to resume in pregnancies up to 20 weeks' gestation for 14 days.

Then, on Thursday, a new Indiana law took effect that bans most abortions, marking its status as the first state in the nation to approve new abortion restrictions since the high court's abortion ruling. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the ban into law Aug. 5.

Under the new law, abortions are permitted only in cases of rape and incest before 10-weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the patient; or if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. A doctor who performs an illegal abortion or who fails to file required reports must lose their medical license.

HOW IS THIS AFFECTING PROVIDERS?

All seven Indiana abortion clinics lost their licenses Thursday under the state's new law, which allows abortions to only be...