BREAKING: Abortion now prohibited in Utah
Jun 24, 2022, 7:03 PM | Updated: 7:43 pm
This photo shows the Utah State Capitol in March, 2022. The Utah legislative session ended on a fiery note as lawmakers approved a bill that critics say unfairly targets an elected official. (Kira Hoffelmeyer, KSL Radio)
(Kira Hoffelmeyer, KSL Radio)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah law prohibiting abortion, with some exceptions, is now part of Utah legal code according to a notice sent from the Utah State Legislature Friday.
The notice follows the U.S. Supreme Court handing down a ruling that overturned a previous Supreme Court decision that protected reproductive rights for decades.
“Members of the Legislative Management Committee have been notified and the bill is now in effect. Utah code is updated to reflect the changes,” the Utah document stated.
LATEST: Abortion is now set to become illegal in states like Utah, Texas and Idaho where trigger laws were in place https://t.co/riWEZKHD8G
— Bloomberg Equality (@BBGEquality) June 24, 2022
The notice follows the ruling Friday from the U.S. Supreme Court that states are free to prohibit abortion. Utah passed a law in 2020 that would only take effect “on the date that the legislative general counsel certifies to the Legislative Management Committee that a court of binding authority has held that a state may prohibit the abortion of an unborn child at any time during the gestational period.”
The committee was notified Friday afternoon by the general counsel to the Legislature that the conditions set in Senate Bill 174 had been met and the law was now legal code in Utah.
Abortion ban in Utah by LarryDCurtis on Scribd
The Supreme Court stripped the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion Friday that had stood since 1973. The decision by the court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and, according to Associated Press, is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The court’s decision had withstood many tests but three new Supreme Court appointees in the last president term led to the change of precedent.
Part of Friday’s Utah decision stated:
In 2020, the Utah Legislature passed S.B. 174, prohibiting all elective abortions in Utah, except in rare circumstances involving rape, incest or medical emergency, contingent on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
People on both sides of the abortion controversy predicted the fight over abortion would continue, in state capitals, in Washington and at the ballot box. Justice Clarence Thomas, part of Friday’s majority, urged colleagues to overturn other high court rulings protecting same-sex marriage, decriminalization of gay sex and the use of contraceptives.
“It’s a sad day for the court and for the country,” President Joe Biden said from the White House. “This decision must not be the final word.” He also urged voters to act accordingly in November.
What has abortion looked like in #Utah?
According to @UtahDepOfHealth vital stats, abortion rates dropped 48% since 1990, despite our population growing 77% since then.
67% of abortions in 2021 were performed before 8 weeks gestation.
— Cindy St. Clair (@CindyStClair08) June 24, 2022
Protests sprang up around the U.S., including in Utah.
The notice from the Legislature also referenced HB 116 from 2019 stating that a woman may not elect to have an abortion if the primary reasons is because the child is like to have down syndrome.
