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Letter: An attack on women’s freedom

(Rick Bowmer | AP) Republican Sen. Dan McCay, left, and Republican Senate President Stuart Adams, right, speak during a news conference at the Utah State Capitol Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in Salt Lake City. Most abortions would be banned in Utah under a new proposal at the state Legislature, one that abortion-rights advocates say would create fear and uncertainty even though it wouldn't be enforced unless the legal landscape changes.

Legislation proposed by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, SB174 Abortion Prohibition Amendments, is a bald-faced attack on abortion rights and completely beyond the pale.

Under the bill, elective abortions would be prohibited with the exceptions of rape and incest, potential death of a woman or life-threatening injury, or a lethal defect for the fetus (as determined by two physicians). If passed, SB174 wouldn’t take effect until Roe v Wade is overturned.

Abortion should be safe and exceedingly rare. The decision to undergo an abortion is one of the most personal decisions a woman will ever make, and it should be made without the overbearing presence of government bureaucracy telling them what to do with their own bodies.

By advancing this bill into law, Utah legislators are effectively taking away the free agency of all women. This must not stand.

Please contact your legislators and urge them to vote against SB174.

Ryan D. Curtis, Salt Lake City

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