Lawmakers fume over Utah Supreme Court's decision to block abortion ban.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: Dan's Bans
If you've ever wondered what a "preborn baby" is, ask a legislator. Really, ask one. Most people of science understand a fetus is a fetus until it is born, when it becomes a baby. Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, is ready to call a special session to keep hordes of uppity women from murdering babies. Well, not quite babies. And not quite murder. McCay, flanked by the "Eagle"-eyed Gayle Ruzicka, was apoplectic that the Utah Supreme Court has put a halt—however temporarily—on the Legislature's trigger bill to make abortion all but illegal in Utah. Lawmakers were waiting for an end to Roe v Wade (1973), when they'd fire a legal round at pregnant women. When they did, Planned Parenthood of Utah sued and won an injunction, which still stands. But the fight continues. It happened in Idaho, where legislators tried to change every instance of fetus in the law to "preborn." There's little doubt that the long game is to give personhood status to fetuses and zygotes. In the meantime, McCay and others are sure women will abort at will if given the chance. If only he could bleed like a woman, he'd know it's neither easy nor convenient.
Miss: Replacement Parts
Speaking of babies, Utah may be running out of them. Maybe this is the reason for the forced-birth movement. In 2022, the birth rate—1.85—dipped below what's considered the "replacement rate"—2.1—and it sent chills up the spines of religious adherents who believe that women should be pushing out children as fast as they can. That said, there is no one reason that women are not producing like they once did. Education, vocation and even home prices are at play. There used to be a belief that overpopulation would spell doom. A "predicted dystopian future—deadly famine, depleted resources and debilitating pollution—stemmed from an out-of-control birth rate and helped spark an enduring preoccupation with population control," wrote Paul Ehrlich in his book The Population Bomb. It could be that underpopulation comes from the same fears—famine, depleted resources and debilitating pollution. Who wants to bring a child into that?
Hit: Ill Literates
Meanwhile, the state of Utah came out with a fascinating reading list. Pick up these 13 books (see: kuer.org/education/2024-08-02/these-are-the-13-books-now-banned-statewide-from-utah-schools) for your children because, at least for the near future, they won't be checking them out at school. Never heard of Sarah J. Maas? Her fantasy books were targeted six times in the list of 13. And if you live in Davis County, you can be sure you won't find them there. In each case, Davis was one of three school districts reporting salacious materials. Nebo and Washington don't much like reading, either. The good news is that the books will be gaining a huge fan base now. And the coalition Let Utah Read has sent out alerts to make sure voters let their representatives know that reading is still one of the Three Rs.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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