SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Utah are pushing several measures targeting abortions as other states also look to put more restrictions on the procedure.
Legislation that would make biological fathers responsible for paying half of the mother’s out-of-pocket pregnancy costs passed a House committee Wednesday. Republican Rep. Brady Brammer, the bill’s sponsor, said he hopes this “pro-life” legislation increases “the responsibility for men in the bringing of life into the world.”
Democratic Rep. Brian King said he supported increasing accountability for men but feared the bill could tie women to abusive partners. King was the only one who voted against it.
Another bill that’s been introduced would require women to affirm “under penalty of perjury” that they completed the state’s online pre-abortion program before terminating a pregnancy. Completing the online course is already mandatory in Utah but some anti-abortion advocates worry women are skimming over it.
Republican Rep. Steve Christiansen, the bill’s sponsor, told The Salt Lake Tribune that he wants to make sure women are completely informed before undergoing the procedure.
“For some reason, when it comes to abortion, there are some who want to push back when we try to ensure the woman receives relevant and complete information about what is about to happen,” he said Wednesday.
The bill would instruct the health department to ensure the module can only be viewed from beginning to end, with no skipping or fast-forwarding.
The program also would have to include audio of a fetal heartbeat, ultrasound video from six different points in a pregnancy and “medically accurate visual images of what is happening to the unborn child at each step of each type of abortion procedure.” A woman would then receive a certificate to verify she completed the program.
Karrie Galloway of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah said the bill is another effort at blocking access to abortions by “shaming” women.
“’You don’t know what you’re doing, let me educate you. Let me educate you again and again and try it a different way so that you will change your mind,'” Galloway said.
Republicans in other states, like Montana, South Carolina and Kansas, are trying to pass more severe restrictions on abortions. A bill in Arkansas would criminalize abortion except to save a pregnant woman’s life.
