SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Governor Gary Herbert has signed a controversial abortion bill into law.
The governor on Monday signed the bill that would require an anesthetic or analgesic to be used on a fetus 20 weeks or older. The so-called “fetal pain” bill is the first of its kind in the nation.
Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups protested the bill, sponsored by Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, accusing lawmakers of ignoring medical science and inserting themselves in a woman’s personal decisions.
The abortion bill was among 56 the governor signed into law on Monday. Others include:
- A bill that requires information technology workers who discover child porn on a computer to report it to law enforcement.
- A bill that creates oversight should the state win a lawsuit for control of federal lands in Utah.
- A bill that adds pregnant and breastfeeding women to the list of protected classes in Utah’s non-discrimination law.
The governor has until March 30 to sign bills into law.
