77°F
weather icon Clear

Utah law requiring anesthesia before abortion goes into effect

A first-in-the-country requirement that women receive anesthesia before abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is one of about 350 new Utah laws that take effect Tuesday.

Utah is the first state in the country that’s requiring doctors to give anesthesia to a woman having an abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later.

The law is based on the disputed notion that a fetus can feel pain at that point in development.

Doctors say the law could jeopardize women’s health by giving them unnecessary sedation to prevent pain that a fetus may not be able to feel.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
2 skiers killed after avalanche hits Utah backcountry

Search crews recovered the bodies of two backcountry skiers who were swept away and buried by an avalanche in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, officials said.