Legislation that aims for an eventual ban on seeking abortions simply because of a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis won approval from the Utah House on Friday with a vote that broke along party lines.
The 54-15 decision followed an emotional half-hour discussion, in which Republicans said the bill was a safeguard against social engineering and Democrats argued it was an intrusion on some of the most personal and sensitive medical decisions.
Utah Rep. Karianne Lisonbee is sponsoring the bill, HB166, a tweaked version of a proposal that failed in the Senate in 2018 after clearing the House.