Recap: WomensENews Story on Utah’s “Illegal Miscarriage” Bill

Today, our colleagues at Womens eNews published a story following up on the law recently passed in Utah criminalizing "intentional miscarriage." 

Today, our colleagues at Womens eNews published a story following up on the law recently passed in Utah criminalizing “intentional miscarriage.”  The law is the first of its kind and could lead to murder charges being brought against women who miscarry, as first reported by Rewire in February. The initial bill included a standard for “reckless” behavior, but that was changed at the request of the governor who at the least understood at some level the sweeping powers that would give to the state to regulate pregnant women.  Changes to the law created a standard of criminal behavior for women “knowingly” or “intentionally” seeking to cause a miscarriage or abortion outside of legal indications already set by the state of Utah. Utah was the first state that directed criminal prosecution of the women rather than third-parties who may have caused an abortion or miscarriage.

The bill was signed into law by the governor on March 8.