SALT LAKE CITY — Women in conservative Utah will soon be able to get birth control directly from a pharmacist rather than visiting a doctor each time they want to obtain or renew a prescription, a move taken by only a few other states, many of them liberal.

Republican Governor Gary Herbert signed a measure into law Tuesday allowing those 18 and older to get pills, the patch, and some other contraceptive devices, putting Utah in line with a handful of other states that have passed similar laws, including California, Colorado, and Oregon.

‘‘I think five years ago, it wouldn’t have passed, but I think the world and Utah is changing,’’ Republican state Senator Todd Weiler, who sponsored the measure, said Wednesday. ‘‘People are more accepting of the fact that these things make sense and they actually save the state money.’’

Public health officials say studies have shown that unplanned births can lead to more money being spent on social programs such as Medicaid.

Utah is a Republican-dominated state where most lawmakers and an estimated 60 percent of residents are members of the Mormon church. While the church generally opposes abortion, birth control is treated differently.

associated press