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Pro-choice group firm in mission despite SCOTUS ruling

By Harrison Epstein - | Sep 3, 2021

Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

In this May 21, 2019, photo, activists gather in the Utah State Capitol Rotunda in Salt Lake City to protest abortion bans happening in Utah and around the country.

Since the Roe v. Wade ruling by the Supreme Court in 1973, opponents have worked to overturn it.

“With the new court, they have been more honest and straightforward — they want to get rid of Roe,” said Karrie Galloway, Planned Parenthood of Utah president and CEO.

Wednesday’s decision regarding abortion laws in Texas moves those opponents one step closer. The Texas law prohibits abortion as soon as a heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around six weeks into a pregnancy.

This law, according to Planned Parenthood and multiple news sources, was written to avoid any legal pitfalls that have stopped previous abortion bans from passing Constitutional muster.

While this law affects the approximately 14.6 million women in Texas, its reach could extend across the country. Texas attorney and congressional candidate Jessica Cisneros tweeted Wednesday, “This is a green light to other states to attack our rights.”

Utah already has one of the strictest sets of abortion laws in the United States and has worked actively for years to tighten them. This includes an 18-week ban passed in 2019, and challenged by Planned Parenthood of Utah, that is currently paused in federal court. It’s paused because in July, Utah joined 24 other states in a “friend of the court” brief regarding a Mississippi abortion law that will be heard by the Supreme Court in the next session.

“I look forward to a future in which the American people will be allowed to protect the unborn without unwarranted interference from the judiciary,” U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in an emailed statement to the Standard-Examiner. Lee served as an attorney prior to his time in Congress and was often mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee while President Donald Trump was in office.

Mary Taylor, President of Pro-Life Utah, was encouraged by the Supreme Court decision and what it may mean for the future. “We’re hoping that this is an indication that both of those bills will have a good outcome,” she said.

Taylor praised the legislation for giving “recourse” and a voice to other people involved in a potential abortion — namely the family members. She also acknowledged the importance of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh in the ruling.

“That was maybe the biggest legacy of President Trump to put (placing pro-life justices on the Supreme Court) as a priority,” Taylor said.

Planned Parenthood of Utah stressed that there is no imminent threat to abortion access in the state. However, there is the abortion “trigger ban” waiting in the wings. Signed into law in 2020, it would ban elective abortions if Roe were overturned nationwide. If it went into effect, there would still be exceptions for rape, incest and health of the mother.

In a recent email to subscribers, Planned Parenthood of Utah sent information about the Texas law, the status of abortion rights in Utah and more. Regarding the trigger ban, the organization said, “This state by state approach will make abortion out of reach for people who can’t travel to access the care they need, disproportionately impacting people with low income, communities of color, and people with disabilities.”

A sign is displayed on the door of Planned Parenthood of Utah on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, in Salt Lake City. About 39,000 people received treatment from Planned Parenthood of Utah in 2018 under a federal family planning program called Title X.

According to Galloway, polls done before the 2020 legislative session showed that 80% of people in the state believed there were enough laws restricting abortion. Despite this, the trigger ban was put in place.

With laws varying by state, some have turned into de facto havens for the right to get an abortion, including Colorado, New Mexico and California. In Utah, there are only two licensed abortion clinics, both of which are in Salt Lake City.

Other Planned Parenthood clinics, which do not provide abortion services, can still be found across the state. Services in Ogden and Orem include:

  • Birth control refills, including Depo shots.
  • Birth control prescriptions without an exam.
  • Emergency contraception (EC, Plan B, “morning after pill”).
  • Vaccines, including the HPV vaccine.
  • Pregnancy tests.
  • STI screenings for patients not experiencing symptoms (including HIV).

For Galloway and Planned Parenthood, the issues go beyond the abortion themselves — to the societal reasons people seek to terminate pregnancies in the first place. Galloway said that taking away a woman’s right to choose also damages the right for each individual to decide for themselves what their family will be.

“If we’re not going to allow families to make their own decision, and we’re not going to support them, we’re looking at homeless families,” Galloway said.

She also raised issue with the legislating of abortion instead of factors that could lead to unplanned pregnancies such as comprehensive sex education and the availability of contraceptives.

“There’s a lot that can be done, but we’re choosing not to do it. It’s a very frustrating world we live in. We would rather punish than assist,” Galloway added.

Another worry is that eliminating options for safe, legal abortions will lead to unsafe, illegal abortions. Despite everything, Galloway has pledged for Planned Parenthood of Utah to continue assisting people looking to receive an abortion.

“We still provide abortion to the limit of the law,” she said.

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