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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 27, 2019

CONTACT: Mallory Quigley [email protected] | 202-223-8073

Utah Governor Signs 18-Week Abortion Limit and Ban on Discriminatory Abortions for Down Syndrome 

Washington, D.C. – Utah Governor Gary Herbert yesterday signed into law the Cherish Act (H.B. 136), which limits abortion after 18 weeks of pregnancy, after it passed 57-15 in the Utah House of Representatives and 23-6 in the Senate. Late last week Governor Herbert also signed a bill that would prohibit abortions from being performed because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The Down Syndrome Nondiscrimination Abortion Act would take effect when upheld by “a court of binding authority.”

The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) praised the bills in a statement:

“We thank Governor Herbert and state lawmakers for making bold strides to protect unborn children and their mothers,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “In Utah and around the country, momentum is growing to humanize our extreme abortion laws, which currently allow abortion on demand through birth and even beyond. Science and compassion are on the same side in this endeavor. SBA List is particularly grateful to Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, a member of our National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus, for sponsoring legislation to stop the targeting of children with Down syndrome for discriminatory abortions. We hope to see more states follow Utah’s example.”

In November 2018 SBA List submitted an amicus curiae brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold an Indiana law protecting unborn children with Down syndrome from eugenic abortion. The case is Commissioner of Indiana Department of Health v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.

SBA List is a network of more than 700,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.

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