Wyoming’s governor signs measures banning the abortion pill
Wyoming’s ban on the abortion pill will go into effect in July, pending any legal action that could delay it. The implementation date for the sweeping legislation banning all abortions allowed by Gordon to be brought into law is not specified in the bill.
With previous prohibitions quashed in court, abortion currently remains legal in the state until it is viable, or when the fetus can survive outside the womb.
In a statement, Gordon expressed concern that the latest law, which he called the Life is Human Rights Act, would lead to a lawsuit that would “delay any decision on the constitutionality of Wyoming’s abortion ban.”
He noted that earlier in the day, plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit filed a challenge to the new law in case the veto was not issued.
“I believe this question needs to be resolved as quickly as possible so that Wyoming’s abortion issue can be resolved once and for all, and the best way to do that is with a vote of the people,” Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement.
In a statement, ACLU Wyoming’s director of advocacy, Antonio Serrano, criticized Gordon’s decision to sign off on the abortion pill, which is already banned in a number of states that have outright bans on all types of abortion.
“Human health, not politics, should guide important medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion,” Serrano said.
Of the 15 states that have limited access to the pill, six require a doctor’s visit in person. These laws can withstand judicial challenges; States have long had authority over how doctors, pharmacists, and other service providers practice medicine.
States also set rules for telemedicine consultations used to prescribe medications. In general, this means that health providers in states with restrictions on abortion pills could face penalties, such as fines or license suspension, for trying to send pills through the mail.
Women are already traveling across state lines to places where abortion pills are easily accessible. This trend is expected to increase.
since reversed ru This past June, abortion restrictions were up to the states and the landscape quickly shifted. Thirteen states now have bans on abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and one more, Georgia, bans it as soon as cardiac activity is detected, or at about six weeks of gestation.
Courts have stopped enforcement of abortion bans or severe restrictions in Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming. Idaho courts have forced the state to allow abortions during medical emergencies.
