(RepublicanNews.org) – Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are suing Utah over a law that would ban stand-alone abortion clinics.
The plaintiffs say the law’s requirement that all abortions take place in hospitals (not clinics), the law amounts to a de facto ban on abortion. Abortion is legal up to 18 weeks of pregnancy in Utah.
The ACLU and Planned Parenthood are asking the court to stay the law until other courts make a ruling on whether it is legal. The law passed both chambers and was signed by Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican. Supporters of the law say abortion clinics won’t even be necessary when the state bans the procedure except in rare circumstances and bans its performance outside of hospitals.
Planned Parenthood said requiring abortions to happen only in hospitals will “reduce access” to safe abortion procedures, and noted that 95% of abortions in Utah occur in clinics.
Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Utah, said the law would “shift care” to hospitals, but would ultimately make abortion off-limits. There would be “no realistic locations for Utahns to continue to get this really essential care,” she said.
In keeping with current progressive-left language rules, Stoesz did not mention “women” or “mothers,” but referred only to the lives of “people.”
Many states have been in legal confusion about abortion since the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision Roe v Wade. That original decision stopped states from banning abortions within the first trimester. When Roe was overturned, the right to regulate abortions went back to the individual states.
Many conservative states have had abortion bans or near-bans – called trigger laws – on the books just waiting for Roe to be overturned. In states like Utah, overlapping laws that were triggered after the Supreme Court action have left doctors, patients, and healthcare facilities confused.
The Utah law is set to take effect on May 3rd. On that date, the state will not issue any new licenses to abortion clinics unless the court issues an injunction.
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