Utah AG rejects ADF’s defense offer – kind of

Sheena Mcfarland reports in The Salt Lake Tribune:

“I will not turn over the defense of state legislation to any outside group ever,” Shurtleff said Monday.

The Alliance Defense Fund sent letters to Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, and Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, offering free legal defense for Wimmer’s HB22, which requires physicians to tell women seeking abortions of the option for fetal anesthesia, and Ray’s HB90, which defines viability and redefines the health of a mother. The group also offered to defend against any challenge to HB114, which revives an existing fund that would collect private donations to defend anti-abortion laws.

“Now that the governor has signed them into law, we are looking forward to them being upheld in court,” said Steven Aden, ADF senior legal counsel.