Worthy Christian News > US News > Utah passes law banning abortion clinics from obtaining license to practice

Utah passes law banning abortion clinics from obtaining license to practice

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The deeply conservative state of Utah has passed a new law to prohibit abortion clinics from obtaining the healthcare licenses they need to operate as medical facilities, the Associated Press reports.

The premise behind the law is that abortion clinics are not “healthcare” providers and are, therefore, not entitled to a license. The law was signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday and took effect on May 3, AP said. From that time, abortion clinics will not be able to apply for new licenses.

A complete ban on licenses for abortion clinics will take effect on January 1, 2024, AP said.

The law stipulates that hospitals will still be able to provide emergency abortions in the case of threats to maternal health and rape or incest reported to authorities, AP reports.

Welcoming the new legislation, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s Western Regional Director Adam Schwend said in a statement: “Abortion clinics are not medical facilities. Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry exist to generate a profit by taking the lives of unborn children, rather than to care for patients. They generally do not have to abide by the same regulatory standards as health clinics, and this puts women at risk.”