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Citing stories of blood-smeared walls and fetuses being aborted with unsanitary instruments, Rep. Carl Wimmer argued Tuesday that the state needs to license and inspect abortion clinics.

The examples the Herriman Republican pointed to were part of an anti-abortion documentary "Blood Money" that he showed to the House Health and Human Services Committee.

"There's no reason to believe Utah is an island unto itself when all around us stacks of horror stories are piling up," Wimmer said before the committee approved 1st Substitute HB171.

But Missy Bird, executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Committee, objected to Wimmer using horror stories from a movie to justify his bill.

"That's absolutely not happening in Utah," she said.

Under Wimmer's bill, abortion clinics would have to pay an additional licensing fee to fund two annual inspections — one of which would have to be unannounced.

Utah currently has three clinics. Only one, which performs second trimester abortions, is inspected by the Utah Department of Health.

Teresa Garrett, deputy director of public health practice for the state, said the inspections occur about every two to three years, more frequently if there are complaints or problems found, the same as other medical clinics.

Records of the inspections done since 2001 show the violations found at the Utah Women's Clinic dealt with a failure to hold quarterly quality assurance meetings, the failure to hold regular fire drills, and failure to keep an adequate maintenance log.

Wimmer played about four minutes of the "Blood Money" video, which told of instruments that were not sterilized so doctors could perform dozens of abortions more rapidly. Seventy-five percent of women who underwent the procedure suffered from infections, the video said.

After the hearing, Wimmer conceded that he didn't know of any examples in Utah when women had been harmed by unsanitary conditions, although he said they might not report such incidents because of the shame associated.

Bird said Wimmer is welcome to visit the Planned Parenthood clinic to see its conditions for himself. Wimmer responded that he had been to the clinic — as part of a group who met to pray outside the building.

"I'll pass," he said to Bird's invitation.

Hospitals are exempt from the inspections in Wimmer's bill.

"No one in this room, no one in this state can tell you the extent of the abortions being performed in this state because they're unregulated right now," Wimmer said.

According to the Utah Department of Health, there were 3,270 abortions performed in 2009. But Wimmer suggested there may be additional abortions performed outside of a hospital or clinic setting.

The measure passed the committee by a 5-3 vote. Two other Wimmer bills also passed, one allowing doctors or hospitals to refuse to perform an abortion and making them immune to civil liability if they do so, unless the mother's life or health were in jeopardy.

The other would prohibit policies offered through Utah's health exchange, which would be required under federal health reform, from covering abortions.

The argument is that the health exchange would be paid for with taxpayer money.

"The idea that my tax dollars would ever by used … to end the life of a little unborn baby would be to me unacceptable and really quite horrifying," said Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum. "I would hope that never would the state of Utah want to be part of allowing those tax dollars to end the life of a little unborn baby."

All three bills go to the House for further consideration.