Editor’s note • The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, clearing the way for Utah’s abortion trigger law to go into effect. Read more here.
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If further restrictions or an outright ban on elective abortions go into effect in the Beehive State, the closest states that have wider abortion access are Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
Colorado and New Mexico do not have gestational limits on abortions, while Nevada restricts the procedure after 24 weeks, except in situations to protect the woman’s health. None of the three states has a mandatory waiting period.
More details about the clinics and the services they provide can be found on maps provided by Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org/abortion-access?) and the National Abortion Federation (prochoice.org/patients/find-a-provider/).
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Here are the laws in the states surrounding Utah.
Arizona: Arizona’s Republican governor signed a Mississippi-style bill into law in March, banning abortions after 15 weeks, except in a medical emergency. It does not provide exceptions for rape or incest.
Colorado: The state’s Democratic governor signed a bill into law in April, guaranteeing the right to an abortion in state law.
Idaho: Idaho’s Republican governor signed a Texas-style bill into law in March, banning abortions at about six weeks and allowing family members “of the preborn child” to sue abortion providers for at least $20,000 in damages. SB1309 provides exceptions for a medical emergency, rape and incest, but the rape or incest must be reported to law enforcement.
A lawsuit has already been filed to try to block the law, which was set to go into effect later this month.
Idaho also a trigger ban law, passed in 2020, that “would ban all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother,” if the U.S. Supreme Court upends Roe v. Wade, the Associated Press reports.
Nevada: In 1990, Nevada voters approved a referendum that “effectively sealed Roe’s protections into state law,” according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
New Mexico: Last year, state lawmakers repealed a dormant 1969 law that banned most abortion procedures.
Wyoming: The state’s Republican governor signed a trigger ban bill into law in March that would ban abortions in Wyoming if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
HB92 provides exceptions to protect the life and health of a woman, and in cases of incest and sexual assault.
To read more about what could happen in Utah if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, read the full story.
Becky Jacobs is a Report for America corps member and writes about the status of women in Utah for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.
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