The Republican lawmaker who wrote Utah’s current surrogacy law tried to have it repealed this week.
Sen. Lyle Hillyard of Logan said in 2005 when his bill hit opposition in the House, he went to individual lawmakers with a promise:
“That if the courts or people started doing different things than are specifically outlined in this bill, I would seek to have it repealed," he said. "And that’s what I’m doing here.”
Same-sex couples have used the law to have children of their own, even leading to a case currently being considered by the Utah Supreme Court.
A handful of women who’ve been or used a surrogate to have children spoke against Hillyard’s bill, including Abby Cox, the wife of Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who seven years ago was a surrogate for his sister-in-law.
“During her first pregnancy, she was minutes from death,” she said.
Families “have gone through more than we can imagine to get to the point of contemplating surrogacy,” Cox said, adding that it would be a “huge mistake” to repeal protections for families and women who reach surrogacy agreements.
The senate committee tabled the bill, effectively killing it for now.
