UTAH
Pro-Life Utah responds to latest abortion questions in Utah
Sep 16, 2022, 4:47 PM | Updated: Dec 30, 2022, 11:19 am
May 5, 2022: Protestors at the Utah Capitol voicing their opinion about abortion in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court document that could end legal abortion in the United States. (Waverly Golden/KSL NewsRadio)
(Waverly Golden/KSL NewsRadio)
SALT LAKE CITY — Pro-Life Utah has issued a statement in support of the lawmakers who signed a cease and desist letter sent to organizations and doctors in Utah that provide abortion services.
“Pro-Life Utah is deeply appreciative of the bold and clear stand of the 23 Utah legislators supporting the legality of Utah’s Abortion Trigger Law,” the group said.
The letter from Reps. Birkeland and Lisonbee
This week, Rep. Kira Birkeland and Rep. Karianne Lisonbee announced they’d warned doctors and health care providers in Utah about the current legality of most abortions in Utah.
In a letter, they stated that abortions are a felony in Utah and warned doctors about future prosecution. The representatives also said that as many as 20 other Utah lawmakers had signed onto the cease and desist demand.
“We strongly support our representatives’ determination to ensure that abortion providers are held accountable for the illegal abortions they have performed,” Pro-Life Utah said in its statement.
On Friday, Reps. Birkeland and Lisonbee clarified their claim of abortion being illegal while the Utah Trigger Law, S.B. 174, is stayed.
#NEW @UtahKarianne and @KeraBirk clarifying that their claim of abortions being illegal while the law is stayed, and thus able to be retroactively prosecuted in letters sent to Utah abortion providers… is their opinion and the opinion of 22 Utah lawmakers @kslnewsradio #utpol pic.twitter.com/WVvbaMt2f1
— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) September 16, 2022
In the original letter, the representatives asserted that abortion remained a criminal offense in Utah within the confines of S.B. 174. They said that an injunction against S.B. 174 blocks prosecuting the law, and not the law itself.
#BREAKING: @UtahKarianne + @KeraBirk release a stern warning to Utah doctors claiming abortions “remain a felony” in Utah. But…A judge has stayed the trigger law. Meaning it doesn’t take effect. And an 18 week abortion ban is. There’s no mention of that. #utpol (THREAD) pic.twitter.com/7sgXlgE3TK
— Lindsay Aerts (@LindsayOnAir) September 15, 2022
KSL NewsRadio Legal Analyst Greg Skordas disagrees with Reps. Birkeland and Lisonbee.
“The (trigger) law has been stayed. It is not the current Utah law. An older trigger law is in place, which allows for the procedure to occur up to 18 weeks,” Skordas said. “But what they’re saying is that the original law that’s been stayed is the law of the land and in my opinion that’s just absolutely not true.”
