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SALT LAKE CITY — A bill unveiled Monday would make it illegal for a medical provider to perform an abortion if they have knowledge that the woman seeking the procedure is doing so for "the sole reason" that the child would be born with Down syndrome.
Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, the bill sponsor for HB205, said that if passed, the measure would make performing an abortion in that circumstance a class A misdemeanor.
Lisonbee said she was alarmed by "the elimination of an entire group of people (simply for) having a single immutable genetic trait."
"In recent years there has been a shocking increase in abortions performed for no other reason than because a prenatal test identified the potential for a trait a parent didn’t like," she said. "For a society that claims to uphold tolerance and inclusiveness, it appears we still have a long way to go."
The termination of pregnancies involving a Down syndrome diagnosis is especially prevalent in countries such as Iceland, Denmark and the United Kingdom, according to Lisonbee.
Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, who will also sponsor the bill, also presented his case in favor of it Monday.
"There is nothing more important than protecting those who are most vulnerable among us. An unborn child is a human being, an unborn child is not an unresponsive (group of) cells," he said. "By announcing by this bill … we will walk the walk, we will do all we can to protect the most precious, the most vulnerable, the most innocent among us."
Asked whether she has concerns about how to enforce the law, Lisonbee told the Deseret News, "I think there are ways around every law."
"People break laws all the time," she said. "That's why we have a criminal justice system."
She later added, "As lawmakers, we like to have policy that's right and true and good."
The bill would also require a physician consult with the expectant mother, upon any detection that the unborn child could have Down syndrome, and give the woman a referral to a physician or other medical specialist "who is knowledgeable about providing medical care to a child with" the condition. That consultation would be required to happen in person or over the phone.
The consulting physician would also be required to refer the woman to "state or national Down syndrome parents' groups," the bill states.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
