The Quickie: PP and ACLU Challenge New Utah Law Eliminating Abortion Access
For Immediate Release: April 4, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: PP and ACLU challenge UT law that functionally bans abortion, FL 6-week ban advances thru Senate, it’s Election Tuesday in WI, and “A Year of Action” campaign launches.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND ACLU OF UTAH CHALLENGE NEW LAW THAT FUNCTIONALLY ELIMINATES ABORTION ACCESS IN THE STATE: Yesterday, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) and the ACLU of Utah filed a new state court challenge to HB 467, a newly enacted law that will functionally eliminate access to abortion in the state if allowed to take effect on May 3 — even though abortion is currently legal in Utah up to 18 weeks of pregnancy.
The supplemental complaint was filed in PPAU’s existing lawsuit against the state’s trigger ban, which has been blocked by the court since last summer.
“Don’t be fooled: HB467 is an abortion ban disguised as a licensing requirement that will have a catastrophic impact on the lives and health of women in Utah,” said PPAU Interim President and CEO Sarah Stoesz. “As promised, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah is fighting back and doing everything in our power to make sure that Utahns can get the care they need to stay healthy.”
Read more from the Associated Press and The Salt Lake Tribune.
FLORIDA ATTACKS REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY IN SAME DAY: Yesterday, the Florida Senate approved a proposed ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Hours later, at least 10 peaceful protestors occupying a Tallahassee park — including Florida Senate Majority Leader Lauren Book and Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried — were arrested and held until early Tuesday morning. In response to the arrests, Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates executive director Laura Goodhue said,
"Legislative leaders rushed this near-total abortion ban through, limited testimony from the public and silenced dissent by banning protests at the Capitol because they know Floridians overwhelmingly oppose this bill…The passage of SB 300 this morning and the arrests tonight highlights that Florida is where freedom goes to die."
The arrests continue an alarming trend of state repression in Florida. Not only has the state imposed severe limitations on public events at the capitol, but lawmakers have cut off testimony in hearings and ordered members of the public removed from legislative chambers. Florida League of Women Voters president Cecile Scoon noted a double standard for protestors, tweeting that in 2021, protestors shut down an entire highway without repercussions. In contrast, dozens of Tallahassee police officers were deployed to arrest those who opposed the near-total abortion ban moving through the legislature.
More about the protests is available from the Tallahassee Democrat. Read more about the abortion ban at The 19th.
Read Planned Parenthood’s statement on the abortion ban.
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TODAY: “EXISTENTIAL” WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT ELECTION WILL DETERMINE FUTURE OF ABORTION ACCESS: Happy Election Tuesday in Wisconsin, where Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI)-endorsed candidate Janet Protasiewicz faces off against Dan Kelly for a seat on the state’s supreme court. Described as “existential” and the most important election of 2023, today’s race will have major implications on everything from abortion access to voting rights in the state. This year, the Court is likely to hear Attorney General Josh Kaul’s challenge to the state’s 1849 criminal abortion ban — which has forced Wisconsin providers to suspend care due to legal uncertainty —and the winner of today’s election will determine the balance of reproductive rights champions on the bench. Right now, the 174-year-old law is forcing patients and providers to flee their state to access or provide basic health care.
“I’m a sixth-generation Wisconsinite,” said Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an OB/GYN who formerly provided abortion at a PPWI health center. “My whole family lives in Wisconsin. I belong in Wisconsin, and those are the people who I feel so entirely committed to taking care of. It is my desperate dream to return to Wisconsin.”
PPAWI and partners organized abortion rights rallies in Milwaukee and Madison and have led GOTV efforts across the state for this highly consequential election.
“I think [the election] has been incredibly motivating for folks and we've gotten a ton of interest,” said PPAWI’s Analiese Eicher. “People who've never engaged before are coming out and wanting to volunteer, talk to their friends and talk to their families and show up, rally and vote, and it's incredibly powerful."
Read more at the 19th* and Isthmus.
“A YEAR OF ACTION” LAUNCHES TO EMPOWER INDUSTRIES TO STAND UP FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: On Thursday, actress and reproductive rights advocate Sophia Bush and Mejuri founder and CEO Noura Sakkijha celebrated the launch of “A Year of Action,” an initiative to empower industries, companies, and individuals to stand up for abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
"Economic issues are women's issues,” Bush said at the event. “Reproductive health issues are community issues. It's all cyclical and connected. It feels really special to draw in all the connections from so many different communities. It feels like a special moment to get things done and really rally people for a cause."
"When the overturn of Roe v. Wade happened, it felt like a threat to women's empowerment,” Sakkijha said. “We were one of the first brands to comment and take a stance. What we're doing now feels very natural and in alignment with what Mejuri stands for.”
A Year of Action is working in collaboration with Planned Parenthood to form cross-industry partnerships and fundraise for reproductive health care access.
Sophia Bush, Cynthia Brooks, Rachel Johnston, and Noura Sakkijha (left to right).
Image credits: Getty Images.
Read more at InStyle.