A state judge on Monday struck down Wyoming's blanket ban on abortion and its first-ever blanket order in the country Restrictions on use of medication to terminate pregnancy In line with voters in many states who have voiced support for abortion rights.
Since 2022, Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens has ruled three consecutive times to block the laws while they were disputed in court.
The decision marks another victory for abortion rights advocates after voters in seven states Measures passed in support of access,
A Wyoming law that Owens said violates women's rights under the state constitution bans abortion except to protect the life of the pregnant woman or in cases involving rape and incest. The second made Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills, although other states have enacted de facto bans on the drug by broadly banning abortion.
The laws were challenged by four women, including two gynecologists and two non-profit organizations. One of the groups, WellSpring Health Access, opened as the state's first full-service abortion clinic in April 2023 after an arson attack in 2022.
“This is a wonderful day for the citizens of Wyoming and for women everywhere who want to take control of their bodies,” Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access, said in a statement.
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Voters in Missouri cleared the way to overturn one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bans in a series of victories for abortion rights supporters in recent elections. Meanwhile, Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments that would have enacted the ban.
Abortion rights amendments also passed in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Montana. Nevada voters also approved an amendment supporting abortion rights, but they will need to pass it again in 2026 for it to take effect. Another law that bans discrimination based on “consequences of pregnancy” is prevalent in New York.
A Seismic Shift in the Abortion Landscape in 2022 When US Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. WadeA decision that ended abortion rights nationwide and cleared the way for restrictions to take effect in most Republican-controlled states.
Currently, 13 states are enforcing bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions, and four have bans that go into effect at six weeks of pregnancy or earlier – often before women even realize they are pregnant. Are pregnant.
Nearly every ban has been challenged through litigation. Courts have blocked enforcement of some restrictions, including bans during pregnancy in Utah and Wyoming. Judges struck down the bans in Georgia and North Dakota in September 2024. The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled the following month that the ban could be enforced there while it considered the case.
In the Wyoming case, women and nonprofits challenging the laws argued that the restrictions would harm their health, welfare and livelihoods, a claim denied by state lawyers. They also argued that the restrictions violated a 2012 state constitutional amendment that states that competent Wyoming residents have the right to make their own health care decisions.
As he had done with previous decisions, Owens found merit in both arguments. Owens ruled, “A ban on abortion would undermine the integrity of the medical profession by impeding physicians' ability to provide evidence-based medicine to their patients.”
Owens ruled that abortion laws interfere with the fundamental right of women to make health care decisions for an entire class of people – including those who are pregnant.
Wyoming voters approved the amendment amid fears of government overreach after approving the federal Affordable Care Act and initial requirements for health insurance for people.
State attorneys argued that health care does not include abortion under the amendment. Republican Governor Mark Gordon, whose administration has defended the laws passing in 2022 and 2023, did not immediately return an email message Monday seeking comment.
Both sides wanted Owens to rule on the lawsuit challenging the abortion ban rather than allow the case to go to trial in the spring. A three-day bench trial before Owens was previously scheduled, but that will not be necessary with this ruling.