Utah governor Gary Herbert signed a new law this week to prohibit most abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy.
The “Cherish Act”, signed into law on March 26, is expected to take effect in May.
The law, sponsored by Republican Cheryl Acton of Salt Lake City, includes exceptions to allow abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest; or if a doctor determines that the foetus is not viable or has a lethal defect; or if there is “a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the woman on whom the abortion is performed”.
Several pro-abortion organisations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, have already announced their intention to challenge the new law in court, calling it unconstitutional.
Gov. Herbert also signed a law last month banning abortions done solely due to a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis. Similar laws have been struck down in the past in several other states. In anticipation of a legal challenge, the Utah law will only go into effect if a similar law is upheld in court elsewhere.
Utah currently has a 72-hour waiting period for abortions.