Abortions, and the fight against them, are growing in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds braved the cold on Saturday to join the 10th annual March for Life at the Utah State Capitol.

The demonstration became heated at times, conflicts apparently fueled by the recent inauguration, the rising number of abortions across the state, and the expanding reach of organizing group Pro Life Utah.

Before speeches, a crowd of Catholics including the local Knights of Columbus group gathered around local priests to pray the rosary. Various church and political groups, individuals and families stood in the cold with signs and flags waving.

Father John Evans, vicar general for the diocese of Salt Lake City, told KSL.com that "the whole issue of life is something we struggle with in our country, in our communities, even within our own families and households."

"There are many people who want to diminish life, who want to discard life, who want to discount what life is," he said. "If we fall into that trap, then we're not affording every human person the dignity that's inherent to them, whatever the stage of life — from conception until natural death."

In June 2022, the Supreme Court's ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, which prompted the enforcement of Utah's so-called "trigger law," banning nearly all abortions in the state with narrow exceptions in cases of rape, incest, if the fetus has a uniformly fatal abnormality or to save the life of the mother. Planned Parenthood, however, filed a lawsuit arguing the law violated the Utah Constitution.

An injunction was granted by District Court Judge Andrew Stone in July 2022 while the case remained in litigation, halting the enforcement of the abortion ban. Mary Taylor, president of organizer Pro-Life Utah, took to the podium to address the state of the suit.

"There doesn't seem to be an end in sight. There is no action planned on this case until April of 2026," Taylor said, to the boos and shouts of the crowd.

Last year, Taylor said her group "saved 141 babies from abortion ... double the number of babies from 2023." Pro-Life Utah, she said, is "growing at a phenomenal rate."

Abortion procedures across the state also appear to be growing. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that around 4,080 abortions took place in Utah during 2023. The state of Utah reported similar numbers in 1990, with abortions falling from 2010 to a low of 2,244 in 2020, sharply spiking to current figures.

Deanna Holland, executive director of Pro-Life Utah, took to the dais to encourage onlookers. "We are in it for the long haul," she said. "Abortion ends the lives of the most vulnerable and innocent of God's children. Satan loves abortion. Satan is addicted to abortion."

According to Holland and Taylor, their group parked a mobile ultrasound clinic in front of Planned Parenthood for more than 800 hours last year, "causing much displeasure and annoyance to you to Utah's main abortion clinic," Taylor said.

Planned Parenthood declined to comment.

Pro-Life Utah's expansion is both geographic and political. Support programs have started in Logan and southern Utah, with more on the way, led by a volunteer team of 65.

"The list of things our volunteers have done to help and support our moms is long," Holland said. "We fix sinks. We fix cars. We drive women to family in other states to escape domestic violence."

"We give rides to prenatal appointments, rides home from the hospital after birth, when they have nobody to bring them home, and we mourn with mamas who tragically have lost their babies after miscarriage. ... The list is literally endless, because when we ask ourselves, 'What would we do to save a life?' The answer is always more," she siad.

Across the state, 41 legislators sponsored the march, "an all-time record," according to Taylor.

Many in attendance felt this growth is a positive thing. University student Eli Gurney told KSL.com, "I have more hope now than I did last year." Gurney attended with his little sister, Lucy. He said, "Life is a gift from God, and every life matters, and we have the privilege and duty to stand up for it."

Lucy Gurney said, "I'm a 16-year-old girl, and I value life, not because I'm brainwashed, but because I believe in God, and I believe that everybody deserves a chance."

As the crowd flowed down the steps, and along the streets surrounding the state Capitol, some were not as supportive, a change from last year. One man stood on a curb with a bullhorn, showering the marchers with questions. He didn't give his name, he said for fear of professional retaliation, but told KSL.com, "I think women have the right to choose."

"I don't think any group of people should dictate to any other what they can do with their body," he said. Citing the thousands of children in Utah's foster care system, he said, "if each one of these people cared about children the way they claim to, they would adopt."

Mikaela Lawrence told KSL.com she felt "the entire presentation today is incredibly disrespectful to every woman that has died from lack of abortion care."

As the current of demonstrators returned to the steps, mingling and packing up, tensions rose between critics and attendees, leading to at least three heated arguments and shouting matches from different sides.

Laws introduced

Senator Mike Lee announced that, in honor of the March, Republicans have introduced three bills involving abortion:

• The Abortion is not Health Care Act, would prohibit elective abortion expenses from being eligible for tax deductions.
• The Protecting Life in Health Savings Accounts Act would prohibit the operations from being eligible for a variety of heath savings accounts and arrangements.
• The Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act would stop federal funds from going to organizations, foreign or domestic, that perform, promote, provide referrals or lobby for abortion.

In a post on X, Lee said "the fight for life is the defining moral question of our time," and is working with other legislators to repeal the FACE Act, which prohibits actions blocking access to abortion clinics.

Related topics