Wyoming judge blocks state's strict abortion bans
A Wyoming judge on Monday blocked the state’s strict abortion laws, including a ban on the use of abortion drugs, keeping abortion legal in the state for now.
Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens ruled that Wyoming’s ban on all abortions, with few exceptions for rape, incest, and limited medical emergencies, violated a part of the state constitution ensuring that a “competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions.”
Owens wrote that the laws “are not reasonable or necessary to protect the health and general welfare of the people.”
Her ruling came in a lawsuit against the state brought by Wellspring Health Access, one of two abortion clinics in the state, and by doctors and women who said the laws violated their rights. The timeline of legal access to abortion in Wyoming in recent years has been tumultuous, including the arson of a clinic in 2022.
The decision is likely to be appealed to the Wyoming Supreme Court. All five justices were appointed by Republican governors, including Mark Gordon, who issued a brief statement expressing his disappointment with the verdict.
Reactions were swift across the Cowboy State following the ruling. Republican State Rep. Rachel Rodriguez Williams, chair of the state’s increasingly influential Freedom Caucus, condemned the ruling in a Facebook post.
“Please join me in prayer for the defenseless preborn babies who are now at even greater risk of dismemberment, starvation, and death by poison,” Williams wrote. “This is the slavery of our time.”
Democratic State Rep. and House Minority Floor Leader Mike Yin saw the ruling as a victory for personal liberties in Wyoming.
“Making your own health care decisions means being able to get care without confusing, harmful mandates from the state that risk your health and even your future ability to raise a family,” Yin wrote in a prepared statement.
Although opinions on abortion tend to be deeply divided, Wyoming voters may have a more unified stance on the issue than their politicians.
According to polling data released by the University of Wyoming in November, nearly 40% of residents believe “women should always have access to abortions as a matter of personal choice.” Additionally, 20% support abortions in cases where “the need has been clearly established.” Only 11% of respondents stated that “abortions should never be permitted.”
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for Paste BN. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNew