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Utah State Senate passes bill banning abortion after 18 weeks

This article originally appeared on 2 KUTV. Read it in its entirety here.

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A bill that would make abortion in Utah illegal after 18 weeks of pregnancy was passed by the Utah State Senate on Wednesday evening.

The initial proposal, House Bill 136, was filed by Rep. Cheryl Acton, R-West Jordan and sought to ban abortion after 15 weeks gestational age. The bill was later amended to 18 weeks, an amount Acton determined was more likely to survive a potential court challenge.

The bill has exceptions to the 18-week limit in the case that doctors determine a fetus is not viable, that giving birth to child would put a mother at serious risk, and in the case of rape and incest. 

Alliance for a Better Utah and Utah’s branch of Planned Parenthood came out in opposition to the measure from the time it was first proposed. The organizations argue Acton’s bill is likely to face a potentially costly legal challenge.

This article originally appeared on 2 KUTV. Read it in its entirety here.

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