Wyoming Legislature Abortion, Trans Athlete Ban Bills Yet To Be Decided

As the 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session works towards a scheduled Friday adjournment, the fate of a couple of high-profile bills hangs in the balance.

Both House Bill 152, the Life is a Human Right Act, and Senate File 133, the Student eligibility in interscholastic sports bill, met a Monday deadline for approval by the Committee of the Whole in the second house of the legislature and remained alive for this session.

House Bill 152 as originally written would have, among other things, removed exemptions for rape and incest from an abortion law passed by lawmakers last year. Last year's legislation remains tied up in court, however, and as of right now, abortion remains legal in Wyoming.

But House Bill 152 has been heavily amended from the original version.

The Wyoming House changed the bill to become a "trigger law" that would take effect only if last year's abortion law is found unconstitutional.

A Senate Committee last week then amended the bill to eliminate the change in exemptions for rape and incest, meaning that if that version of the bill becomes law, those exemptions would remain in place.

But the Senate could yet change the latest version of the bill, and since it seems likely that even if the Senate passes the measure it will head to a House-Senate Conference Committee, what the final version of the legislation will look like if it passes the Senate is not yet clear.

A bill that would ban trans athletes from competing in girls K-12 sports also remained alive at last report. That legislation is sponsored by Sen. Wendy Schuler [R-Uinta County]. Supporters of the legislation, say that people who are born as males have unfair advantages in size and strength over females. Opponents of the measure say it's discriminatory and isn't needed.