Abortion bill passes Utah legislative committee

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah legislative interim committee has advanced a bill that would allow prosecutors to seek criminal charges against women who seek late-term abortions.

Under the proposal, a woman could be charged with a second-degree felony if she intentionally aborts an unborn child after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Late-term abortions are already illegal in Utah, but women cannot be held criminally liable. The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer of Herriman, says he wants to remove that provision from the law.

The bill is in response to the case of a pregnant teen from Vernal who allegedly paid someone to beat her in an effort to abort a 7-month-old fetus.

The girl pleaded no contest to a criminal solicitation charge and went to detention. A judge later said the girl could not be held liable and the charge has been dismissed.

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