UTAH (ABC4) – A Utah judge has granted a preliminary injunction on Monday, which will continue to block Utah’s abortion trigger law from taking effect.
This is in response to the lawsuit between Planned Parenthood and the ACLU in Utah vs. the state of Utah over the trigger law, which ultimately stems from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
This will place the state’s trigger law on hold for the duration of the case.
Despite this, the state has still banned elective abortions after 18 weeks, due to HB 136, which was passed on Utah’s Capitol Hill in 2019.
In 2020, the Utah Legislature passed S.B. 174, prohibiting all elective abortions in Utah, except in rare circumstances involving rape, incest, or medical emergency.
Karrie Galloway, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah released the following statement on the decision:
“We’re grateful that for now, abortion services remain legal and available in Utah. The past few weeks since the Supreme Court’s ruling have been terrifying and confusing for our patients and providers across the state. But let me be very clear about one thing: abortion is legal and available in Utah up to 18 weeks. And Planned Parenthood will continue to fight to make sure it stays that way.”
Here’s what Pro-Life Utah had to say regarding Monday’s ruling:
“We are horrified by today’s granted injunction by Judge Stone permitting elective abortion to continue in the state of Utah. The irreparable harm to unborn babies was completely ignored. Thousands of babies would have been protected had the law been allowed to go into effect, but will now be killed as a result of this decision while we wait for the case to be litigated. Not only this, but the 18-week ban and the post-viability ban could also be put at risk. We will continue to work to save women from the trauma of abortion and babies from the horrific death perpetuated daily by Planned Parenthoood and other abortion providers.”
Utah is among 13 states with trigger laws, which are designed to take effect once abortion is no longer protected by the U.S. constitution.
Utah was one of several states to move quickly on banning abortion, with states like Missouri signing its abortion ban into effect just minutes after the Supreme Court’s decision.
