The Utah Royals women’s pro soccer team has not even started playing in their new league, but the team is already stirring controversy by announcing that it will pay for all out-of-state abortions for team members and staffers.
The Royals are set to become one of the NWSL’s new expansion teams, as team number 13, and will start playing in 2024 in the southern suburb of Sandy, Utah, at America First Credit Union Field. The announcement is set to bring women’s pro soccer back to Utah for the first time since 2020, when the Royals shut down and transferred all assets to the Kansas City Current.
Utah Royals FC assistant Amy LePeilbet in the huddle before a game between Utah Royals FC and Portland Thorns FC at Providence Park on September 20, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. (Sam Ortega/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
But before the first goal is even scored, the Royals are kicking up controversy by announcing a new abortion policy.
“For all employees enrolled in our benefits plan, we have had a policy in place where if there is a medical procedure that is not provided in the state of Utah, we will provide a reimbursement of up to $4,000 toward travel and lodging costs,” a club spokesman said in a statement, according to KSL.com.
“It’s something that we look at not only for expansion teams but for our incumbent teams. And we have various markets where women’s health and medical rights and resources are compromised and limited that it’s our responsibility at the league office to the extent permitted by law to provide tools and resources for our players to have their medical needs met,” Commissioner Jessica Berman added.
“We have those safety nets and systems in place through the league office where players can have their medical needs addressed even if they have to leave the market, and we are here to support them to the extent that’s necessary. And we know that the ownership group here is aligned to ensure that that’s the case,” Berman continued.
Kelley O’Hara, #5 of Utah Royals FC, stands during the national anthem before a game against the OL Reign on day 6 of the NWSL Challenge Cup at Zions Bank Stadium on July 8, 2020, in Herriman, Utah. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
The announcement comes on the heels of new state laws that have been put in place over the last few years that put heavy restrictions on abortion.
Last March, for instance, with Gov. Spencer Cox signaling that he would sign the bill, the legislature passed a law effectively banning abortion clinics in the Beehive State.
State lawmakers also passed a bill to make abortions of babies with Down Syndrome illegal and a law to make abortion illegal after 18 weeks of pregnancy. And last year, they passed a law that only a doctor can perform an abortion, which precludes abortion clinics that rarely have full doctors involved in such procedures.
The restrictions have angered left-wing abortion supporters.
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