People nervous about paying the bills are increasingly turning to second jobs in the face of economic uncertainty. Americans are "side-hustling like we are in a recession," said The Wall Street Journal. Research shows that nearly four in 10 Gen Z and millennial workers hold down multiple jobs, "padding their finances while they can" ahead of what they expect will be an economic downturn. 

'Wages haven't kept up' with the cost of living
A "distressing number" of American workers are "worried about their jobs," said USA Today. Last month, just 44% of workers had a "positive outlook" for their companies over the next six months, the "lowest level recorded" in the survey's history, according to researchers. Workers say they are carrying heavier loads thanks to layoffs, which is "creating anxiety about when the next round will come or leaving teams understaffed and overworked," said Daniel Zhao, the lead economist for Glassdoor's online work community.

Nearly two-thirds of workers report they "plan to get a second job or start a side hustle," said HR Dive. Just 19% of workers have enough cash on hand to pay a month's worth of expenses, according to a report from the American Staffing Association. And 95% say "wages haven't kept up with the rising cost of living." 

Employers must 'address the sources of unhappiness'
Companies are finding they "need help managing workers who are taking second jobs," said Inc. Workers are "worried about the economy, unsure about their career future and searching for employers they can trust," according to a study by the software company Remote. That means companies might want to think about how to "address the sources of that unhappiness to avoid losing employees" who are stretching themselves thin with outside work.

The shape of things to come
Side hustling has usually been seen as a "countercyclical economic indicator," said Marketplace. In the past, when workers "patched together part-time work to make ends meet," it was a sign that economic growth had slowed. The rise of gig apps like Uber and Taskrabbit has made the relationship between the economy and second jobs a "bit murkier." With economic uncertainty rising, though, it "makes sense that some people are exploring backup options."

When Republican Rep. Kat Cammack (Fla.) checked into a Florida hospital last year, her goal was to obtain a vital dose of methotrexate, the drug needed to expel the nonviable ectopic pregnancy actively threatening her life. But with the state's six-week abortion ban newly on the books, it took hours before doctors worried about their legal liability would agree to prescribe the medication. Their apprehension, Cammack said to The Wall Street Journal, was the result of "absolute fearmongering at its worst" on the part of pro-choice activists. But with confusion over liability and medical responsibility, care for ectopic pregnancies remains in an uncertain state.

What does the law say?
On June 3, the Trump administration rescinded President Joe Biden's 2022 directive to hospitals that ordered them to provide abortion services in instances of extreme medical necessity. However, the Trump administration said it would "continue to enforce" the underlying law that requires treatment for "conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy."

The back-and-forth has "thrown into doubt" the government's "oversight of hospitals that deny women emergency abortions," said The Associated Press. Early pregnancy is a "medically complicated space," said American College of Emergency Physicians President Alison Haddock to The Guardian. Doctors now need to worry "whether their clinical judgment will stand should there be any prosecution." 

Abortion rights advocates argue Florida's restrictive reproductive laws created the problems faced by Cammack and her physicians. The law doesn't define how doctors should identify ectopic pregnancies, said Molly Duane, a senior attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, to the Journal. Blaming health care providers for the confusion, rather than ambiguous policies, comes from the "playbook of anti-abortion extremists."

What's next for doctors and patients?
Apprehension surrounding ectopic pregnancy care has already prompted one of the country's largest crisis pregnancy center organizations to advise against prenatal ultrasounds that could confirm the condition. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates has already fought, and ultimately settled, lawsuits stemming from misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies in what the group called the "greatest medical and legal risk for clinics," said NBC News.

Some medical health professionals have called for the administration to clear up confusion. Hospitals "need more guidance, not less, to stop them from turning away patients experiencing pregnancy crises," said Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, in a statement.