Abortion in Utah is legally performed under a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the state's trigger law, which bans abortion.[1] According to HB136, which is effective state law from June 28, 2022, abortions are banned following 18 weeks of gestation.[2] Abortion was banned following the Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24, 2022.[3][4][5] Utah State Legislation enacted SB 174 in May 2020, which, upon the overturn of Roe v. Wade, made inducing an abortion a second-degree felony.[4][6][7] The law includes exceptions for pregnancies "caused by rape or incest," pregnancies that put the mother's life at risk, or "if two doctors say the fetus has a lethal defect."[6][4][7] Rape and incest exceptions will only be viable if the crimes were previously reported to law enforcement officials.[8]
A 2014 Pew Research Center survey found that 51% of Utah adults said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases with 47% saying it should be legal,[9] and a 2022 joint Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found 46% of Utahns thought abortion should be legal only in cases of rape, incest, or threats to mothers’ health.
The number of abortions performed annually in Utah has dropped over the decades with 4,796 abortions performed in 1990 and 2,922 performed in 2019.[10] In 2019, 61.8% of abortions performed in Utah were due to socioeconomic reasons.[4]
- ^ Jacobs, Becky (June 27, 2022). "Abortions can resume in Utah for now, after judge blocks enforcement of trigger law". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "While Utah's abortion ban is on hold, a new law takes effect". 28 June 2022.
- ^ "BREAKING: Abortion now prohibited in Utah". KSLTV.com. 2022-06-25. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b c d Jacobs, Becky (2022-06-24). "Supreme Court clears way for Utah's abortion trigger law by overturning Roe v. Wade". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy". Guttmacher Institute. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b Harris, Martha (2022-05-03). "SB 174, the Utah trigger law that bans most abortions". KSLNewsRadio. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ a b Hemmersmeier, Sean; Cabrera, Elle. "What the Supreme Court Decision on abortion means for residents of southwestern Utah". The Spectrum. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ Blumenthal, Paul (2022-06-14). "These States Will Ban Abortion Now That Roe Is Overturned". HuffPost. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ "Views about abortion among adults in Utah". Pew Research Center. 30 May 2014.
- ^ "Utah Vital Statistics: Abortions 2019" (PDF). Utah Department of Health. November 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-24.