When it comes to Abortion, What will Wyoming Do?
The U.S. Supreme Court has officially reversed Roe v. Wade. This means pregnant women no longer have the constitutional right to choose to have an abortion.
In Wyoming, the following restrictions on abortion went into effect as of June 17, 2022:
Abortion would be banned if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
The parent of a minor must consent and be notified before an abortion is provided.
Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest.
An abortion may be performed at or after viability only in cases of life endangerment or severely compromised health.
Governor Mark Gordon has issued a statement on Facebook and Twitter, but he has no further comments since his statement.
How long before this bill goes into effect?
The federal government is not criminalizing abortion, but has granted abortion rights to each individual state to decide for themselves.
While some states, like Mississippi, make most abortions illegal after fifteen weeks of pregnancy, Wyoming enacted its "trigger ban" to prohibit abortion in almost all situations.
Other states with a trigger ban include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah that will automatically ban abortion in the first and second trimesters.
In a May 4 article on the Jackson Hole News & Guide, one of the lone surgical abortion providers in the state--Dr. Brent Blue--called it "the greatest threat to women's healthcare" in his 45-year career as a doctor.
He said, “In a state that believes in keeping government out of people’s lives, we’re sure doing the opposite."
For decades, Wyoming anti-abortion activists struggled to gain traction with abortion bans.
"I think that the grassroots like myself are beginning to rise up and say, 'We need to get involved,' said John Bear, one of the co-sponsors of the trigger ban (WyoFile). "We've been represented by people that don't necessarily represent our values. And so that's why I think you see a change."
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