Cheyenne, Wyoming – Lorna Roxanne Green, an individual opposed to abortion, pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge on Thursday. Green stated that anxiety and nightmares about the opening of Wyoming’s first full-service abortion clinic in years motivated her to break into and set fire to the facility. U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson accepted Green’s plea agreement and she could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine upon sentencing.
The arson occurred in May 2022 at the Wellspring Health Access clinic, just weeks before its planned opening. As a result of the damage, the clinic was unable to open for almost a year. Court documents reveal that Green confessed to breaking into the building and igniting gasoline she had poured inside. The clinic, which opened in April, offers both surgical and pill abortions, making it the first of its kind in Wyoming in at least a decade. Prior to its opening, the only other clinic providing abortions in Wyoming was in Jackson.
Despite Green’s opposition to abortion, her social media activity did not indicate her anti-abortion views. The investigation revealed that Green had purchased gas cans and aluminum pans the day before the fire, drove to Casper, and carried them to the clinic in a bag. Security footage and a witness account corroborated those details. Green admitted to using a rock to break the door’s glass and pouring gasoline in various rooms before lighting it.
The identity of the arsonist remained unknown until a reward was raised to $15,000 in March, leading to multiple tipsters identifying Green. While Green has chosen not to publicly express her views, other opponents of the clinic have not remained silent. Regular protests occur outside the facility, and in May, Casper Mayor Bruce Knell issued an apology for a Facebook post that some interpreted as sympathizing with the arson attack.
The fire at Wellspring Health Access, founded by abortion advocate Julie Burkhart, occurred amidst a contentious landscape for abortion in Wyoming. Women in the state often travel to neighboring states, like Colorado, for abortions. Last year, Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens suspended an abortion ban that was implemented after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Owens ruled that the ban would harm women and the doctors who challenged it. Since then, Owens has suspended a new abortion ban intended to address the previous ban’s legal shortcomings, as well as Wyoming’s first-in-the-nation explicit ban on abortion pills.
Judge Owens has shown sympathy towards arguments suggesting that a 2012 state constitutional amendment, which guarantees the right of Wyoming residents to make their own healthcare decisions, conflicts with the abortion bans.
___ Bedayn is a journalist serving as part of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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