Utah bans new licenses for abortion clinics, forcing them to close by year's end
CBSN
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed H.B. 467 into law on Wednesday, which outlaws providing licenses to abortion clinics in the state, and forces those in operation to close either by year's end or when their license expires — whichever comes first. The law will take effect on May 3.
"Yesterday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB467 into law, legislation that will functionally eliminate access to abortion in the state on May 3, even though abortion is currently legal in Utah up until 18 weeks," read a statement from Planned Parenthood released on Thursday.
In a news conference on Thursday, Cox defended his signing of the bill, but denied that it would ostensibly ban abortion access in the state. He clarified that abortions would still be able to be performed in hospital settings
