Crowded Wombs
Women are half the population, they vote at a higher rate than men and yet, they are watching their rights shrivel as politicians work tirelessly to save women from themselves. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes—the guy who focuses more on Texas than home—has joined anti-abortion conservatives in a lawsuit to ban a drug that can terminate pregnancy. In other words, banned throughout the nation, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. His move adds to the legislative exhilaration over banning abortion in Utah as bills target injunctions as well as procedures and timelines. The biggest joke is called Utah Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, in which Gov. Spencer Cox claims to be helping half the Utah mothers who experience depression or anxiety during or after pregnancy. Trust them, women are aware, and they know why. It's about lawmakers micromanaging women's bodies.
Hotel California
Speaking of the governor, you may remember when he wanted people to come to Utah. Well, he's not so inclined anymore. "Our biggest problems are more growth-related. We would love for people to stay in California instead of coming as refugees to Utah," he told reporters outside the White House, KSL reports. Cox was there for the State of the Union with his buddy Sen. Mike Lee. "Refugees" was probably an unwise choice of words from the governor who has long touted Utah as a sanctuary for them. And he's been working to entice in-migration for years, as the Kem C. Gardner Institute notes. Apparently, it was an achievement that the population increased by 66,000 in 2022, two-thirds coming from in-migration. Cox did pivot from his "stay in California" message to suggesting that the state cut taxes and regulations. In fact, Californians aren't moving here in droves. Their first-choice state is Texas and Utah is among seven other states. Still, Gardner noted that some 16% of migrants were from California.
Boxing Ring
Utah's newest state senator, Salt Lake City Democrat Nate Blouin, is angling to help voters in San Juan County, but not without the expected opposition from right-wing conservatives. Blouin wants to set guardrails around when and how ballot drop boxes can be removed. San Juan, which suffers from a lack of physical addresses, depends on drop boxes, many of which were unceremoniously removed in the last election. Blouin also wants to allow mailed-in ballots to be counted if postmarked on Election Day. That didn't sit well with the Eagle Forum, which doesn't want ballot counting extended. This year's Legislature is passing several voting laws, supposedly to increase "confidence" in elections. Blouin's bill is being held while lawmakers work it over. They also didn't want to fund prepaid postage, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Meanwhile, Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, is shepherding a bill to audit elections. It would be the second such bill making its way through the Legislature. CW
