Pro-life group, St. George councilmember gather to celebrate overturning of Roe v. Wade

A small crowd of Washington County anti-abortion residents gathered in Vernon Worthen Park in St. George on Friday evening in celebration of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

About 30 people joined the event, some wearing pro-life shirts and waving yellow flags with the word "Life" written on them.

Related:What the Supreme Court Decision on abortion means for residents of southwestern Utah

The announcement from the Supreme Court came Friday morning, and while it had been anticipated for weeks after a draft ruling outlining the decision was leaked earlier this year, the decision was still met with tears of joy by some in attendance.

The group celebrated that Utah, like about half of the states in the U.S., was expected to ban abortions in most cases. State officials announced late Friday that Utah's "trigger law," passed in 2020, would go into effect, banning abortions except under specified circumstances, such as if a mother's life was in danger or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.

Among those who showed up were members of the Pro-Life Southern Utah Chapter and Michelle Tanner, a member of the St. George City Council.  

“Well, I think it gives states a chance to protect the unborn. It gives it back to the states so that they can listen to, you know, the people in the states and what they want to do," said Katherine Larsen, a member of the Pro-Life organization's local chapter. "So here in Utah, we've passed that Life at Conception law, so here it's a big deal that we have over 3,000 abortions in the state of Utah, elective abortions, and that will be no more."

There were 2,554 recorded abortions last year provided by Planned Parenthood, according to a spokesperson for the organization. 

“I think this is a really momentous day in history to say that we respect everybody's constitutional rights and that includes the unborn," Tanner said. "They have separate DNA. They have a heartbeat. I come from the medical field. I'm a family nurse practitioner."

More:Online data, medical records could be used to put women in jail under new abortion laws

Tanner said her first job was in a women's clinic when she was 17 and that she remembers seeing miscarried babies, "literally holding one in the palm of my hand, counting the little fingers and toes."

"There was no doubt in my mind, this was a spirit, a person," she said.

Members of the pro-life group said they were looking to local organizations like the Hope Pregnancy Center to take the lead in helping expectant mothers.  

Southern Utah has no abortion facilities, with any residents considering an abortion left to choose between trips to the Salt Lake City area or to Las Vegas. Under Utah's new law, the northern Utah option will no longer work.

Elle Cabrera covers breaking news and topics. Please help us to continue producing this content at thespectrum.com/subscribe.