Utah has stringent abortion laws, earning a spot in one study as the second most-restrictive state in the nation,
according to The Washington Post.
Lawmakers there are committed to protecting the life of the unborn and have been outspoken in that regard. In 2012, the state passed a 72-hour waiting period for a woman seeking an abortion.
"An abortion cannot be undone," said Rep. Steve Eliason, a Republican from Sandy, Utah,
according to the Salt Lake Tribune. "Why would we not want to afford a woman facing a life-changing decision 72 hours to consider ramifications that could last a lifetime?"
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Only one member of the House spoke against the waiting period. That was Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, a Democrat from Holladay, Utah, the paper said.
"I think this is another example of government intrusion into the private, difficult decisions that adults have to make," Moss said.
Debate on that bill took 15 minutes, and only Democrats voted against it. Abortion rights proponents noted the tough provision in Utah.
"That makes Utah the most pejorative in telling women how much time they need to take," Karrie Galloway, director of Planned Parenthood of Utah, told the Tribune.
In 2013, news accounts noted that Utah's abortion rate had plummeted to its lowest levels. Both sides on the debate spoke out,
according to Maine News Online.
"The legislative efforts of the right-to-life movement, and significantly, the resulting national debate and educational campaigns surrounding pro-life legislation should not be minimized when discussing the decline in abortion numbers", said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, who said the Utah law was working.
But some state health experts said the decline was likely due in part to sagging economics, Maine News Online reported.
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