Eighteen minutes into a half-hour local public radio show meant to spur conversation between people from opposing sides of the political aisle, Shireen Ghorbani, the voice representing “the left” on the show, said to the other guest, “I feel like we’re just trying to dodge talking about what you’re doing to women’s bodies.”

It was March 2020, and Sen. Daniel McCay was in the midst of pushing through his abortion trigger ban during the final days of Utah’s annual legislative session. “No, I am happy to talk about that,” McCay responded.

“The idea that it could be banned, and that we might be a society that’s ready to move forward without abortions — I’m in,” the Riverton Republican said.

Following the senator’s description of the bill, Ghorbani — then a Democrat on the Salt Lake Count

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