A federal judge has temporarily halted Wyoming’s groundbreaking ban on medicated abortion pills, acknowledging an ongoing legal challenge to the law’s constitutionality. The ban, which was signed by the state’s governor in March, was scheduled to take effect on July 1.
The law focuses on two abortion pills, with specific attention on mifepristone, which faced scrutiny over its FDA approval earlier this year. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone can still be distributed while its approval is being challenged. Wyoming’s near-total ban on abortion procedures has also faced legal challenges, and the two lawsuits have now been combined. The main point of contention regarding the legality of abortion in the state revolves around a 2012 constitutional amendment that grants Wyoming residents the right to make their own healthcare decisions, a response to concerns about the Affordable Care Act.
State attorneys argue that abortions performed for reasons other than to save the life of the mother or child do not fall under the category of healthcare. According to State attorney Jay Jerde, they do not “restore a woman’s body from pain, injury, or physical sickness.” While medical services are involved, the decision to have an abortion for non-healthcare reasons cannot be considered purely a medical one.
Currently, only two clinics in Wyoming sell medication for abortions, as reported by The Associated Press. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Roe v. Wade standard almost a year ago, 13 states have passed laws to ban medication abortions.
(The image associated with this content shows an AP photo with the following caption: “Demonstrators rally in support of abortion rights outside the Supreme Court on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Washington.” The image may not be displayed due to limitations of the text-based format in which this content is presented.)
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