United Utah Party urges examination of abortion legislation
UNITED UTAH PARTY URGES SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND CROSS-PARTISAN BOARD TO EXAMINE ABORTION LEGISLATION
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the United Utah Party urges the Governor and state legislature to convene a special session to review the abortion trigger laws that will now take effect in Utah, and consider whether those laws need to be refined for a post Roe v. Wade Utah.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the United Utah Party urges the Governor and state legislature to convene a special session to review the abortion trigger laws that will now take effect in Utah, and consider whether those laws need to be refined for a post Roe v. Wade Utah.
"The United Utah Party is pro-life, which means we value the life, health, and safety of mothers, children, and the unborn," says Hillary Stirling, UUP Chair. "State legislation restricting abortion must be approached with great care to ensure that the rights of all three groups are protected in our laws. For several years, state legislatures across the country have been passing message bills regarding abortion that signal conservative purity to their base without ever having to face the realities that such laws would create. Now that these bold laws will take effect, we need to take a fresh look at the trigger laws here in our state and their impact on Utahns, especially their impact on women and families. Utah's trigger laws make some effort to protect women's rights, but they still pit women's health and safety against the rights of the unborn in too many areas. We can do better!"
The United Utah Party also calls upon the governor to organize a cross-partisan board to hear and discuss the real-life ramifications of the abortion laws we have passed or will pass, and make policy recommendations to the legislature. "Good things happen when we listen to each other," says Stirling. "This is the culminating moment of the United Utah Party's many calls for unity in our state. Abortion is a wedge that the national parties have used to divide our country for half a century, with disastrous results. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, there is a critical window of opportunity to choose the kind of state and people we will become in the next half century. We must choose wisely. We must build on common ground. We must uphold and enshrine in law the Utah values of compassion, thoughtfulness, and the pioneer spirit of seeking a better way. Now is the time for us to come together from all sides to listen and understand as formative legislative lines are drawn.”
Stirling also emphasized that compromise and cooperation don't necessarily have to mean a softening of abortion restrictions. "Given our state's political makeup, our laws will likely prohibit most abortions, which aligns well with our position as a pro-life party, but we still believe that finding common ground across the entire political spectrum is possible. The UUP is resolved to be both pro-life and proactive in advancing common-ground solutions that also appeal to those who are pro-choice. We can build up robust programs aroupreventing unwanted pregnancy, increase support for adoption, address the housing crisis, and create solutions to our state's critical lack of affordable childcare. If we remove abortion as a choice for women, we have an obligation as a state to make other viable choices available to them. Otherwise, abortion will only move out of state, or worse, from the hospital to the shadows."
The United Utah Party also calls upon the governor to organize a cross-partisan board to hear and discuss the real-life ramifications of the abortion laws we have passed or will pass, and make policy recommendations to the legislature. "Good things happen when we listen to each other," says Stirling. "This is the culminating moment of the United Utah Party's many calls for unity in our state. Abortion is a wedge that the national parties have used to divide our country for half a century, with disastrous results. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, there is a critical window of opportunity to choose the kind of state and people we will become in the next half century. We must choose wisely. We must build on common ground. We must uphold and enshrine in law the Utah values of compassion, thoughtfulness, and the pioneer spirit of seeking a better way. Now is the time for us to come together from all sides to listen and understand as formative legislative lines are drawn.”
Stirling also emphasized that compromise and cooperation don't necessarily have to mean a softening of abortion restrictions. "Given our state's political makeup, our laws will likely prohibit most abortions, which aligns well with our position as a pro-life party, but we still believe that finding common ground across the entire political spectrum is possible. The UUP is resolved to be both pro-life and proactive in advancing common-ground solutions that also appeal to those who are pro-choice. We can build up robust programs aroupreventing unwanted pregnancy, increase support for adoption, address the housing crisis, and create solutions to our state's critical lack of affordable childcare. If we remove abortion as a choice for women, we have an obligation as a state to make other viable choices available to them. Otherwise, abortion will only move out of state, or worse, from the hospital to the shadows."
"The overturning of Roe v. Wade returns a great deal of power back to state governments, and our state legislature must handle that responsibility more wisely," says Stirling. "For example, Utah's new abortion restrictions need to include allowances for mental health. They should allow sexual assault victims to report their assault to a licensed social worker before seeking an abortion, instead of requiring them to risk further trauma by requiring them to report their assault to police. They should allow Medicaid to cover birth control, which would prevent more than 700 abortions per year, a measure that the legislature tabled because of cost in 2020. The UUP is pro-life, not just pro-birth. We value the life, health, and safety of adult mothers and children as well as the unborn. Protecting the sanctity of life through legislation is a serious responsibility. We encourage voters to support lawmakers and candidates like those from the United Utah Party who will approach that responsibility with care and consideration."
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