New Utah Bill Would Defund Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz
A newly proposed bill in the Utah Legislature would stop taxpayer funding of abortion companies.
It would block abortion businesses from receiving state Medicaid reimbursements, targeting facilities like Planned Parenthood of Utah amid ongoing efforts to restrict abortion in the state.
The measure, H.B. 232, sponsored by Rep. Nicholeen Peck (R-Tooele County), would prevent reimbursement for Medicaid costs to providers performing elective abortions, while exempting hospitals and any clinic with more than $500 million in revenue. The bill includes specific carveouts allowing reimbursements for abortions in very limited abortion cases or in cases of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
The proposal comes as Utah continues to fight to protect babies from abortion, including a recent motion by state officials asking a judge to lift a preliminary injunction and allow the state’s near-total abortion ban—triggered after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade—to take full effect. That 2020 law prohibits most abortions. In a related push, Utah officials argued in early January 2026 filings that abortion policy should be decided by elected lawmakers, not courts.
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Assistant Utah Attorney General Lance Sorensen stated in the motion: “But the existence of persuasive policy arguments does not create constitutional rights… It is the same with abortion.”
He added: “Plaintiff is welcome, as our representative democracy contemplates, to seek to persuade its fellow citizens of Utah that permissive abortion regulations are in the best interests of the State. Plaintiff and its members are free to promote and vote for political candidates who share Plaintiff’s views on abortion policy.”
Pro-life advocates view such measures, including the proposed Medicaid bill, as vital steps to protect unborn babies and prevent taxpayer funding from supporting abortion businesses. The bill would implement a state-level “defund” provision for abortion centers, building on federal restrictions that have already limited Planned Parenthood’s access to Medicaid in many contexts.
The legislation was introduced amid a federal court case involving Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, where a recent appeals court decision allowed certain funding restrictions to proceed while litigation continues.
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