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Utah House debates ban on 'partial-birth' abortion, fights over health exception and legal risk
Summary
Lawmakers spent more than an hour debating House Bill 241, which would ban so-called 'partial-birth' abortions. Sponsor Rep. Mike Thompson called the procedure 'abhorrent'; Rep. Buffmeier sought to add a health-of-the-mother exception, warning removal could invite costly litigation. No final floor disposition is recorded in the transcript.
Representative Mike Thompson introduced House Bill 241 as part of a national effort to ban what he characterized as a ‘‘partial birth abortion,’’ saying the procedure ‘‘is an abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity’’ and urging the House to ‘‘stand with others’’ on the measure.
Thompson framed the bill around a definition that treats delivery of a living fetus in a particular presentation as the point at which killing would be outlawed. He cited national hearings and surveys — including a figure of ‘‘2,200’’ instances from one source and later references to higher estimates — to argue the practice occurs beyond rare, acute medical necessity.
Representative Buffmeier moved to amend HB241 to restore a statutory exception protecting the health of the mother, saying ‘‘we can't make medical decisions by laws’’ and warning that removing the…
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