In a published essay, Utah attorney Anastasia Morgan argues that the state’s near-total abortion ban creates a dangerous climate of medical uncertainty, delaying critical care for ectopic pregnancies. Morgan details her personal experience of undergoing weeks of testing and failed medical treatments for a nonviable pregnancy before suffering a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that required emergency surgery and the loss of a fallopian tube.
Utah Supreme Court Arguments Set for October
The Utah Supreme Court scheduled arguments for Oct. 5 to determine whether Planned Parenthood’s challenge to the state’s abortion ban will proceed in a fair forum. The Utah Legislature previously requested to reroute the case to a specially designed three-judge panel. Morgan writes that the court’s upcoming decision will determine how long medical uncertainty persists for pregnant patients in the state.
Utah’s near-total abortion ban has remained blocked by court orders since 2022, permitting abortion up to 18 weeks of pregnancy. However, Morgan notes that the statutory language explicitly excludes ectopic pregnancy removal from the definition of abortion while failing to specify how much medical certainty doctors must establish before performing the procedure. This statutory silence leaves physicians vulnerable to felony prosecution while they wait for definitive proof of a life-threatening complication.
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Rise as Doctors Fear Prosecution
A ProPublica analysis published this month found that deaths involving ectopic pregnancies have nearly doubled since 2020. Maternal health experts noted that the increase has been steeper in states with strict abortion bans. According to reporting cited by Morgan, medical professionals in restrictive states frequently hesitate to act on probable ectopic diagnoses out of fear of prosecutorial second-guessing.
Morgan underwent more than eight ultrasounds and serial blood draws over a two-week period while her care team evaluated her failing hormone levels. Despite a diagnosis of a Pregnancy of Unknown Location by late April, treatment with methotrexate failed because the pregnancy had progressed to eight weeks. A subsequent rupture on May 5 required emergency surgical intervention to save her life.
Utah Abortion Ban Remains Blocked by Court Litigation
Utah’s near-total abortion ban remains blocked by ongoing litigation in state courts, allowing abortion services to remain legal up to 18 weeks of gestation while legal challenges proceed.