As a near-abortion ban makes its way through Utah’s courts, Republican lawmakers are proposing a bill that would ban abortion clinics in the Beehive State.
Proposed by Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, and sponsored by the same senator who put forward the 2020 trigger law that is currently on hold, the proposal — titled “Abortion Changes” — would stop licensing abortion clinics in May, and would ban the operation of all abortion clinics starting in January 2024.
It would also make it a criminal offense for anyone other than doctors licensed in Utah to prescribe abortion pills and unprofessional conduct for health care providers to violate Utah’s abortion laws.
Utah currently has two clinics that perform surgical abortions, and four that offer abortion pills. Under the law, abortions would only be available at hospitals.