Utah Gov Signs Bill Outlawing Abortion Clinics in the State by 2024

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a bill on Wednesday that bans all abortion clinics in the state.
Cox signed H.B. 467 after the state Senate passed the bill on March 2 and the state House signed the bill on March 3. The bill stops the licensing of abortion clinics by May of this year and bans the operation of all abortion clinics starting in January 2024. Under the bill, only hospitals are allowed to perform abortions.

Cox previously told reporters he would sign the bill, which officially defines the term “abortion” to remove any confusion surrounding the law, according to ABC News. 

“One of the concerns with the trigger bill that medical providers had across the state was there [was] a lack of clarity that would have made it hard for them to perform legal abortions,” Cox said at the time.

Besides banning abortion clinics, the bill makes it a criminal offense for anyone other than doctors licensed in Utah to prescribe abortion pills. The bill also requires physicians to inform a woman that perinatal hospice and perinatal palliative care services are available if her unborn baby has been diagnosed with a “fetal abnormality that is incompatible with life.” The bill additionally outlaws abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape and incest, and allows doctors who abort unborn babies in violation of state laws to face discipline for unprofessional conduct.