New Law in Utah Extends Mandatory pre-Abortion Wait to 72 Hours

03/21/12

While the current law in Utah mandated a pre-abortion wait of 24 hours, the state has decided that the mandatory 24 hours is too short a time to cool impulsive behavior and reach logical decisions over the important issue of terminating a nascent life. Governor Gary Herbert has signed the bill into law to come into effect from May 7. A similar law has already been blocked by the court in South Dakota.

The Governor had upset conservative lawmakers last week by refusing to pass a bill aimed at curbing sex education in schools. The move was highly criticized as Gary Herbert used his governor's powers to veto the no/low sex-education bill, holding that sex-education was essential and the current checks and balances were effective in raising the needed awareness in school students without prejudice.

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However, the Utah Governor's new initiative that holds an adult is incapable of logically reconfirming an abortion decision within twenty four hours is likely to draw flak.

A spokeswoman for the Governor's office told the media “Governor Herbert is an adamant supporter of rights for the unborn … He felt the bill appropriately allows a woman who's facing that decision to fully weigh her options and the implications of that decision.”

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There is a significant difference between the South Dakota law for 72-hour pre-abortion wait, and Utah's law of 72-hour pre-abortion wait. While the South Dakota law starts counting those 72 hours only from the time of first meeting with an abortion provider, Utah's law starts counting the 72 hours from the first meeting with any health professional over the issue. Thus women's rights activists find that Utah's law would not be an unnecessary burden upon women.

The questions over the rights of the unborn are many, and pre-abortion conditions vary widely from ultrasound tests focusing on the health of the baby to the mandatory waiting time before reconfirming the decision to carry out the abortion.

No one can predict the future course of events in an unborn life – the child may become an average Joe, or an extraordinary scientist, or a capable leader of the country to hold and advance the interests of the nation. At the extreme end of optimism, the question strikes us, are we losing a future president of the country?

While Republicans are mostly of the opinion that at least 72 hours should be given before confirming the decision to abort a future Bush, Democrats seem unanimous in their decision that no more than 24 hours should be delayed before aborting the possibility of another future Obama.