The law signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday will take effect May 3, at which time clinics will not be able to get new licenses. It institutes a full ban Jan. 1, 2024. Both the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and the Utah Hospital Association declined to detail how the law might impact abortion access.
Utah lawmakers have previously said the law would protect “the innocent” and “the unborn," adding that they don’t think the state needs the clinics after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
Though Planned Parenthood previously warned the law could dramatically hamper its ability to provide abortions, Jason Stevenson, the association's lobbyist, said Wednesday it would now further examine the wording of other provisions of the law that could allow clinics to apply for new licenses to perform hospital-equivalent services.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions about how it would enact the law.
Jill Vicory, a spokesperson for the Utah Hospital Association, said in an email that it was “too early to comment” on whether hospitals could soon be the only abortion providers in Utah, noting each "will need to make a determination on how they choose to proceed."
