Original Filing in Response to Utah's Trigger Ban

This case challenges S.B. 174, a law that bans and criminalizes almost all abortions in Utah with only three narrow exceptions. S.B. 174, initially passed in 2020, went into effect on June 24, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. Alongside Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Zimmerman Booher, the ACLU of Utah has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah in state district court, arguing that this law violates several rights guaranteed by the Utah Constitution.


Supplemental Complaint in Response to Utah's Abortion Clinic Ban (H.B. 467)

On April 3, 2023, we filed a supplemental complaint to our existing lawsuit against the state’s trigger ban law. H.B. 467, a newly-enacted law, will functionally eliminate abortion care in Utah if allowed to take effect on May 3, 2023 — even though abortion is currently legal in Utah up until 18 weeks of pregnancy. Our motion argues that HB 467 violates the Utah state constitution, which guarantees rights to gender equality, bodily integrity, and privacy, among other things. The law also undermines Utahns’ right to determine the composition of their families. It subjects abortion clinics to disparate treatment even though they provide abortion care safely and at a far lower cost than hospitals. 

Attorney(s)

John Mejia, Valentina De Fex

Date filed

June 25, 2022

Court

Third Judicial District Court for Salt Lake County, Utah

Judge

Judge Andrew Stone

Status

Active

Case number

220903886