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Jimmy Williams
In a pivotal ruling on Monday, a Wyoming state judge struck down the state’s overarching abortion ban and its unique law explicitly banning medication-induced abortions, marking a significant victory for abortion rights advocates.
Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens ruled that the laws violate the state constitution, specifically the 2012 amendment affirming residents’ rights to make their own health care decisions. This is Owens’ third ruling in favor of abortion rights since 2022, underscoring her consistent stance on the issue.
“This is a wonderful day for the citizens of Wyoming — and women everywhere who should have control over their own bodies,” Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access, said in a statement. Wellspring Health Access, the state’s first full-service abortion clinic in years, joined the lawsuit alongside four women and another nonprofit organization.
The overturned laws included a near-total abortion ban, allowing exceptions only to save a pregnant woman’s life or in cases of rape and incest, and a ban on abortion pills, which made Wyoming the only state to explicitly outlaw the medication. Similar restrictions exist in other states, but they are enforced through broader abortion bans.
Judge Owens wrote that the bans would “undermine the integrity of the medical profession by hamstringing the ability of physicians to provide evidence-based medicine to their patients.” She also emphasized that the laws violate the fundamental right of women to make personal health care decisions.
Wyoming’s legal battle reflects a broader national trend following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Since then, abortion rights have emerged as a potent political issue. Voters in seven states, including Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland, have recently approved measures protecting abortion access, while bans remain in effect in 13 states.
Critics of Wyoming’s constitutional amendment argued that it does not extend to abortion. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon’s administration defended the bans in court, but his office did not comment on Monday’s ruling.
Both sides had sought a resolution without a spring trial. Owens’ ruling eliminates the need for further proceedings, leaving Wyoming’s abortion landscape unchanged for now and bolstering the broader movement for reproductive rights across the United States.
