Utah judge blocks state's abortion 'trigger law' ban for 14 days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

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Utah judge blocks state's abortion 'trigger law' ban for 14 days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
People attend an abortion-rights rally at the Utah State Capitol Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Salt Lake City.Rick Bowmer/AP
  • Planned Parenthood of Utah and the ACLU chapter in Utah filed a lawsuit after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade.
  • Judge Andrew Stone granted a temporary restraining order, blocking the state's "trigger" law to ban abortion for two weeks.
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A Utah judge granted a restraining order that will temporarily block the state's abortion ban from immediately going into effect, allowing doctors to provide abortions for the next 14 days.

The ruling comes after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that granted women the constitutional right to an abortion.

Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Utah filed a lawsuit over the weekend in a bid to block the state's "trigger law," which was set to immediately ban abortion in the state following the SCOTUS ruling, which was leaked last month.

In a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Andrew Stone of the 3rd District Court in Utah issued the directive in response to the lawsuit filed by the organizations on Saturday.

"The immediate effects that will occur outweigh any policy issues of the state," Stone said during the virtual hearing, according to Fox 13, adding that doctors could face felonies and women have medical needs if the ban were enacted.

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In the lawsuit, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU called Utah's trigger law "unconstitutional." Abortions for about a dozen patients were canceled, Planned Parenthood of Utah wrote in its filing.

"Planned Parenthood of Utah has more than 55 patients scheduled for abortion appointments in the next week, including 12 on Monday, 19 on Tuesday, and 19 on Wednesday," the lawsuit stated.

Utah passed a law in 2020 that banned all elective abortions with exceptions in cases of rape and incest, the health of the woman, and if there are lethal birth defects. In any other case, the law would make abortions performed at any stage in pregnancy a second-degree felony.

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