I’m pro death and abortion. At least that’s what a recent “friend” on Facebook said to me when I commented on the Salt Lake County Republican Party’s page after they posted a call to action to support H.B. 136, a bill that would prohibit abortion once at 15 weeks –Utah currently restricts the procedure at around 20 weeks.

It would be one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. It’s worth calling out that Mississippi passed a very similar law and it was rolled back by a federal judge. The chief sponsor of the bill being peddled in Utah is Rep. Cheryl Acton R-West Jordan.

Now why would Acton run a bill that stands little to no chance of passing? A bill that even if it did pass would be immediately challenged in court? Because she’s appeasing the zealots that have found their righteous homes at Pro-Life Utah and the Utah Eagle Forum. I swear, between voters passing three propositions on Election day, only to be skirted by our very own lawmakers and this ridiculous air ball attempt at adding restrictions to a constitutional right, it’s getting weird in our state.

This bill is a way for Acton to preen for her fanatical conservative supporters, nothing more. Surely she keeps up with pro-life news and has seen state after state that has lost in federal court? Also, it turns out that if it were to pass you and I would be on the hook to pay for the legal battle that would ensue –about $2 million.

Acton’s bill is unnecessary, it’s purely coming from an ideological place that lives in Unconstitutional Land and doesn’t care about those who make these tough decisions. She’s doing this for show, and I find it offensive and cruel.

Is abortion a wonderful thing? No. It’s a personal, brutal thing that lives in your mind forever. It hurts both physically and mentally. You make your peace with the decisions made and you’re forced to move on.

How can I know what it’s like since I’m a guy? Because I was once an unstable 20 something year old, and took part in one of the most difficult decisions of my young life. Acton’s bill doesn’t care about the nuance of the decision I helped make, it only slams me with her ideological view of the world and I resent her for it.

Aside from my anecdotal experience, there’s this little thing called the Constitution to keep in mind.

There’s plenty of precedence to support a woman’s right to choose -the Supreme Court ruled on this matter after all- but quite frankly it’s a damned embarrassment that we’re now picking up where Mississippi lost. Even Justice Kavanaugh said it plainly that Roe v. Wade had been, “reaffirmed many times.” So what does this mean? It means it’s constitutionally protected –Acton would be wise to remember this.

Now is there an epidemic of abortions in our country?

No, far from it actually. Abortion is on the decline, in fact, it’s at all-time low. The CDC released a report in November of last year where they tracked all sorts of variables using an assortment of data sets that show the procedure on the retreat. But here’s the thing, even if abortions were on the climb, it’s still constitutionally protected so again I say, the bill has no place in our state.

If you’re a pro-lifer, good for you, that’s your choice and you’re entitled to associate with whoever you’d like because it’s in the Constitution -the the First Amendment- but remember that the right to access safe and legal abortion is also protected under the Constitution -the Fourteenth Amendment- so don’t infringe on the document that affords you a right just because you don’t like that others have legally protected rights too.

We are a nation of laws, and the law has been clearly written and supported on the issue of abortion. As a final ask, please find your House Representative here in Utah and remind them of the law of the land.