Utah Committee Passes Bill to Ban Abortions on Babies with Down Syndrome

The bill also comes at a time when the conversation about Down syndrome 

has been in the spotlight. 

By Christian Vazquez

Life News

In an uphill battle to prevent discriminatory abortions, Utah passed a bill this week to protect unborn babies with Down syndrome from abortions.

ABC4 News reports the Utah House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 166 on Wednesday night. HB 166, also known as the Down Syndrome Nondiscrimination Abortion Act, would prohibit women from getting abortions after a pregnancy screen indicates that their unborn child has Down syndrome.

The bill includes provisions that specify what Down syndrome is, and require the state Department of Health to create an informational sheet and webpage to inform parents about the disability.

One Utah lawmaker, state Rep. Brady Brammer, said HB 166 makes a critical point. “Message bills do send a message that people count, and in this case, that the unborn children that have disabilities count,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

This is not Utah’s first attempt at banning abortions on babies with Down syndrome. Last year, a similar bill made it to the legislature in February, but it was ultimately unsuccessful.

State Rep. Karianne Lisonbee said this year’s bill avoids the constitutional and legal problems that prevented last year’s bill from succeeding. HB 166 includes exceptions for rape, incest and risks to the mother’s life.

When HB 166 was discussed, several speakers urged lawmakers to support the bill, including Lisa Wilson, a woman with Down syndrome. Deseret News reports Wilson said she was happy she was given life.

“I am so grateful that I was blessed that I might live so that I could give and receive joy,” she said.

Continue reading Life News article here 

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