On April 10, 2019, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the ACLU of Utah (ACLU of Utah) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) to stop H.B. 136 – the 18-week abortion ban passed by the Utah legislature and signed into law by Governor Herbert.
After being stayed (i.e., paused) for six months in 2020 while the U.S. Supreme Court considered a semi-related abortion lawsuit from Louisiana, the legal challenge against Utah's 18-week abortion ban was continued. However, the case was paused again in 2021 while the Court considered another abortion case from Mississippi. As a result, the PPAU v. Miner case is on hold while the courts await the outcome of the Jackson Women's Health decision at the Supreme Court which could come down in early Summer 2022.
The lawsuit was filed in federal district court and initially secured a preliminary injunction to stop H.B. 136 from taking effect. As a result, the 18-week abortion ban has not taken effect in Utah and will be blocked during the period of litigation. Abortion healthcare is still safe, legal, and available in Utah.
