Salt Lake City, UT – Today, the Utah Supreme Court heard oral arguments in abortion providers’ case challenging the state’s trigger ban. Passed in 2020, the law took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Following a legal challenge brought by Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, the trigger ban has remained unenforced due to a court order.
The trigger ban outlaws nearly all abortions in the state. The law includes only narrow exceptions, including a provision forcing sexual assault survivors to disclose personal information to law enforcement as a condition of care — and even these exceptions can be virtually impossible to navigate. In addition to banning abortion, the trigger ban would also criminalize health care providers, threatening arrest and criminal fines for providing abortion care.
Joint Statement from Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and ACLU of Utah:
“Today the Utah Supreme Court heard about the devastating consequences Utahns could face should the trigger ban be allowed to take effect. Thousands will be forced to flee their communities for basic health care or carry pregnancies to term against their will. Everyone deserves the right to make their own medical decisions and get the care they need, free from political interference. Patients and providers continue to make this clear, and together, we will use every tool at our disposal to fight these unconstitutional attempts to outlaw abortion and strip Utahns of their fundamental rights.”
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is represented by attorneys at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Zimmerman Booher, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah Foundation, Inc., and the American Civil Liberties Union.
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