Utah lawmakers haven't had to deal with abortion much since they passed one of the most restrictive laws in the nation several years ago. But a conservative Utah County legislator has placed it back on the legislative agenda this session.

Rep. Matt Throckmorton's HB237 would mandate that only gynecologists credentialed by a licensed health-care facility be allowed to perform abortions. Current state law permits any licensed physician to perform an abortion. The bill would allow doctors others than gynecologists do the procedure in a medical emergency."I think it is a very legitimate issue that needs to be discussed," the Springville Republican said.

The Utah Medical Association calls it "terrible" legislation.

"It doesn't make sense," said Mark Fotheringham, UMA spokesman. "Mostly we're absolutely opposed to the concept of licensure by procedure. We have a separate license for every procedure we do? No. That's not a door we want to open."

Utahns for Choice executive director Bev Cooper said she has fielded numerous telephone calls from physicians wondering what Throckmorton is thinking.

"In some respects, he's rewriting abortion law," she said.

The state Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel attached two constitutional concerns to the bill.

First, limiting the ability perform an abortion to gynecologists places a "substantial obstacle" in the path of woman seeking the procedure might run counter to federal law. Second, singling out a medical procedure and restricting practice to a particular category of physicians may raise equal protection concerns.

Only two of Utah's 29 counties (Salt Lake and Weber) have abortion providers, according to the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, which recently gave the state an "F" for access to abortion. Doctors who perform the procedure in the clinics specialize in obstetrics, Cooper said.

Throckmorton, a self-described pro-life advocate, drafted the bill after being touched by a letter and phone conversations with an Idaho woman who had to have a hysterectomy following complications from an abortion. "If (doctors) are performing these, they need to be trained to the highest level possible," he said.

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He admits he would like to see the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade abortion ruling overturned, but he is adamant that his personal feelings on abortion didn't enter into his decision to run the bill.

"That's just not the intent whatsoever," Throckmorton said. "It's something we could easily just walk away from. But just because something is difficult to address doesn't mean you walk away from it."

Gayle Ruzicka, of the ultraconservative Utah Eagle Forum, favors "anything to save lives and slow (the abortion process) down," she said.

The House Rules Committee intends to consider the measure for committee assignment in the next day or two, said Rep. Susan Koehn, committee chairwoman.

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