Utah judge to consider challenge to new abortion clinic ban

SALT LAKE Town (AP) — A Utah decide on Friday will take into consideration a ask for from Planned Parenthood to delay applying a statewide ban on abortion clinics established to commence taking influence following week.

Planned Parenthood argues a point out regulation passed before this year will correctly stop accessibility to abortion throughout the condition when clinics upcoming week quit becoming able to utilize for the licenses they’ve traditionally relied on to function.

The group operates a few of Utah’s four clinics that supply abortions. It argues that, with the clinic ban, the Utah Legislature “sought an option means” to additional prohibit abortions although awaiting a point out Supreme Court ruling on a “trigger law” that would outlaw most abortions no matter of trimester.

“Women will be pressured to have pregnancies to time period versus their will to continue being expecting till they can travel out of point out to obtain this important, time-sensitive professional medical care … or to endeavor to self-control their abortions exterior the health care method,” Planned Parenthood said in its motion requesting the court docket delay applying the clinic ban earlier this thirty day period.

The ban on clinics is Utah lawmakers’ most current hard work to prohibit abortions and arrives less than a 12 months immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That final decision induced two formerly handed legal guidelines — a 2019 ban on abortion immediately after 18 months and a 2020 ban on abortions regardless of trimester, with a number of exceptions including scenarios of risk to maternal health as nicely as rape or incest noted to the law enforcement.

The condition Prepared Parenthood affiliate sued over the 2020 ban. Past July, a judge delayed applying it right up until lawful challenges could be fixed. The 18-7 days ban has because been de facto regulation.

If the clinic ban requires result, the delicensing of clinics will transition most abortions to hospitals, which usually do not specialize in small-value outpatient abortions, which include delivering the abortion tablet. In Utah, clinics deliver 95{fc1509ea675b3874d16a3203a98b9a1bd8da61315181db431b4a7ea1394b614e} of abortions.

The regulation is set to take outcome May possibly 3, at which time abortion clinics will no lengthier be able to implement to be licensed. It would institute a entire ban on Jan. 1, 2024, by stripping all clinics of their licenses.

Though state officials have explained clinic licenses will continue being right up until then, Prepared Parenthood has warned that it reads the legislation in different ways and fears exposing clinicians to legal liability and make offering abortions a crime. They have claimed that, absent intervention, they approach to prevent providing abortions at their clinics.