(Oregon Right to Life) — The Utah Supreme Court last week upheld a block on the state’s law protecting the unborn after 18 weeks gestation while a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood proceeds. The decision has been met with serious disappointment from local pro-life organizations.
Utah’s highest court on August 1 handed down the 4–1 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Utah, opting not to overturn a lower court’s block against Utah’s pro-life “trigger law,” Fox 13 reported.
Utah lawmakers passed the 18-week measure in 2020, but the law was dormant until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, thereby reversing the landmark decision that had mandated legal abortion nationwide.
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Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the state to prevent the pro-life law from taking effect. A lower court judge sided with the abortion corporation, issuing an injunction to block enforcement of the 18-week limit, Fox 13 reported. The matter ultimately went to the state Supreme Court, where justices last week chose to uphold the injunction. Lower courts will once again assess the case, and it’s likely the issue will be sent back to the state Supreme Court before long. Until the matter is finally resolved, abortion will remain legal in Utah through 18 weeks gestation.
In a joint statement, multiple local pro-life organizations responded to the Utah Supreme Court’s decision by expressing “great sorrow and profound disappointment.”
“This decision permits Planned Parenthood of Utah and other abortion facilities to continue the killing of thousands of pre-born babies within the state,” Pro-Life Utah, Utah Eagle Forum and the Abortion-Free Utah Coalition said in the statement. “Since the injunction went into effect, over 6,000 babies have been killed by elective abortion in the state of Utah.”
Mary Taylor, president of Pro-Life Utah, said in the press release that the ruling “is a grim reminder that our society has strayed far from the moral compass that once guided us.”
“We mourn for the countless unborn lives that will never have the chance to experience the world, and we grieve for a society that fails to uphold the fundamental right to life,” Taylor said.
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Amid the legal wrangling over the pro-life measure, one lawmaker in the state is looking to pursue stronger legislation to protect Utah’s unborn.
Utah Sen. Dan McCay, who sponsored the 18-week measure, said he would pursue options to implement an even more robust pro-life law.
According to Fox 13, “McCay told reporters that he would now seek a special session of the Utah State Legislature to change Utah’s abortion laws to allow them up to six weeks, like other states have done.”
To date, four states protect the unborn after six weeks gestation, which is about the time that a fetal heartbeat can be detected. 14 other states have more expansive laws that protect the unborn from the moment of conception, usually with narrow exceptions.
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