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 The bill, the first of its kind in the nation according to the Salt
Lake Tribune, states that an anesthetic or analgesic will "eliminate
or alleviate organic pain to the unborn child."
"The governor is adamantly pro-life. He believes in not only erring
on the side of life, but also minimizing any pain that may be caused
to an unborn child," a spokesman for Republican Governor Gary
Herbert said in a statement.
Supporters of the bill and anti-abortion groups say that around the
20th week of pregnancy a fetus can feel physical pain, and
anesthesia can eliminate discomfort.
Reproductive health advocates, including Planned Parenthood of Utah,
told the Tribune the position is scientifically unproven and
lawmakers have inserted politics into a private medical matter.
Under the new law, doctors performing abortions would be required to
administer anesthesia to women seeking an elective abortion around
20 weeks. Previous state law gave women the choice whether or not to
opt for anesthesia.
Abortions are prohibited in Utah after the point when the fetus is
viable, which is around 22 weeks.
The law will not affect a large number of women, the Tribune
reported, with 17 women in Utah receiving abortions at 20 weeks of
pregnancy or later in 2014, it said.
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Republican state Senator Curt Bramble, who sponsored the bill, had
originally wanted to ban abortions after 20 weeks but was told the
move would be unconstitutional, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in New York; Editing by Richard
Pullin)
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