Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the PBS Utah Governor’s Monthly News Conference at the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 16, 2022. On Friday, May 5, 2023, Cox called a special session of the Utah legislature for May 17. The legislature will consider three items that the governor says requires immediate legislative action. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox signed 71 bills Wednesday into law from the 2023 legislative session. Among those is H.B. 467, which will close abortion clinics in the state later this year.
The bill would prohibit the licensing of abortions after May 2, 2023. Abortions will only be available at hospitals for rape and incest victims after May 2.
Additionally, the bill removes an exemption for abortions after 18 weeks for rape and incest victims.
Both Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have issued responses to the bill signing.
“Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) is exploring all options to preserve access to abortion in Utah ahead of HB 467’s effective date on May 3,” wrote Karrie Galloway, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, in a text message to KSL NewsRadio.
“We sent a letter to Governor Cox asking him to veto H.B. 467 because the ACLU of Utah will always view healthcare as a fundamental right,” wrote Aaron Welcher, communications director, ACLU of Utah in a text message to KSL NewsRadio. “The right to bodily autonomy is a deeply held and long-recognized human and civil right. Legislative attempts to significantly limit a person’s reproductive freedom, including the right to decide if and when to become a parent, will be scrutinized by the ACLU of Utah.”
Read more: