Wyoming’s governor has signed a law prohibiting abortion pills
![](https://static.politico.com/ed/af/3057615f4630abd3661d2ce0923a/ap23077153142080.jpg)
Wyoming Gov. Governor of Wyoming Mark Gordon signed Friday’s bill prohibiting abortion pills in the state. He also authorized a separate measure to restrict abortion to be made law without his signature.
13 states have already banned the use of the pills, while 15 states already restrict access to abortion pills. After the Texas court’s discussion about abortion pills, the Republican governor made his decision. The federal judge raised concerns about the efforts of a Christian group to reverse decades-old U.S. approval for mifepristone, a prominent abortion drug.
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, medication abortions were the preferred method of ending a pregnancy in the United States. This ruling had been the basis for the protection of the right to abortion for almost five decades. The most popular form of abortion in America is a two-pill combination consisting of mifepristone plus another drug.
The Wyoming ban on abortion pills will take effect in July. This is subject to any legal actions that might delay it. The bill does not specify the date for the implementation of the comprehensive legislation that bans all abortions Gordon allowed to become law.
|
With the earlier ban in court, abortion is legal in the current state until viability or when the fetus can survive outside of the womb.
Gordon stated in a statement that he was concerned that the Life is a Human Right Act, which Gordon referred to, would lead to a lawsuit that would “delay any resolution of the constitutionality” of Wyoming’s abortion ban.
He also noted that plaintiffs in a continuing lawsuit had earlier filed a challenge against the new law to ensure he didn’t issue a veto.
Gordon, a Republican, stated in a statement that he believes the question must be resolved as quickly as possible to resolve the Wyoming abortion issue.
Antonio Serrano, Wyoming ACLU advocacy director, criticized Gordon for signing the ban on abortion pills. These are already banned in many states that have complete bans on all forms of abortion.
Serrano stated that a person’s health should be the guiding factor in important medical decisions, including whether to have an abortion.
Six of the 15 states with restricted access to pills require a visit from a physician. These laws may be challenged in court; the states have long been able to regulate how doctors, pharmacists, and other providers practice medicine.
Telemedicine consultations are also regulated by states. This means that health professionals in states with strict restrictions on abortion pills may be subject to fines and suspension of their licenses if they send pills by mail.
Already, women have traveled across state lines to access abortion pills in places that are easier for them. This trend is expected to continue.
The landscape has changed rapidly since Roe was reversed last June. Thirteen states now ban abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Georgia is the only state that bans abortion once cardiac activity can detected. This ban applies to approximately six weeks of gestation.
Arizona, Indiana and Montana have been unable to enforce abortion bans in Arizona, Indiana or Montana. Idaho courts forced the state to permit abortions in medical emergencies.