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Republican state lawmakers backpedaled less than a day after sending cease and desist letters to abortion providers in Utah, threatening prosecution if they violate an abortion trigger law that is currently on hold in the state. (Anderson Stern, 9/17)

Karrie Galloway, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and recipient of one of the letters, said in a statement “This is a political stunt. Full stop. Anti-abortion politicians are trying to circumvent the judicial system by harassing health care providers and instilling a culture of fear. “PPAU is providing abortion care in full compliance with current law and always has. Our lawyers will continue to monitor the situation, but we remain open for our patients and will continue to do all we can to make sure all Utahns can get the health care they need,” she said. (Cortez, 9/16)

Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Friday signed into law a ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancy, making West Virginia the second state to enact a law prohibiting the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling overturning its constitutional protection. The bill will go into effect immediately, except for the criminal penalties, which will go into effect in 90 days, he said. Justice described the legislation on Twitter as “a bill that protects life.” (Willingham, 9/16)

Patients and clinics in Ohio are wasting no time scheduling abortions after a judge temporarily blocked the state’s abortion ban, allowing abortions up to 20 weeks into pregnancy to go forward. Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins ruled on Wednesday that the state Constitution might protect Ohioans' right to an abortion. The decision blocks Ohio’s ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected — which is typically around six weeks into pregnancy — for 14 days. (Trombly and Laird, 9/17)

Three years ago, after Puerto Rico’s legislature narrowly defeated new abortion restrictions, the cardiologist and pastor Dr. César Vázquez Muñiz founded a new political party whose mission, he vowed, would include “defending life.” Now, with just one senator and one representative in the Legislative Assembly, Dr. Vázquez’s upstart party, Project Dignity, has helped lead a new attempt to limit abortion on the island, one of only a handful of U.S. jurisdictions where the procedure remains legal at any point during pregnancy. (Mazzei, 9/17)

For the first time, a state report detailing the latest data on how many Texans die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth complications will not be ready before the Texas Legislature convenes next year. (Vidales, 9/16)