Wyoming court rules abortion protections fall under health care
Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state’s highest court struck down two major abortion bans. The justices ruled that the laws, including the first statewide ban on abortion pills, violate protections in the Wyoming constitution.
In a 4 to 1 decision, the court said women have a basic right to make their own medical choices, including the choice to end a pregnancy. State lawyers had argued that abortion should not count as health care, but the court rejected that view.
Legal battles continue after Roe reversal
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, many states have tried to restrict abortion. However, courts in several states have paused or overturned near-total bans. Wyoming became the latest example after doctors, women, an advocacy group, and the state’s only abortion clinic challenged the laws.
The abortion pill ban was also struck down
The ruling struck down both the near-total abortion ban and a separate law targeting abortion pills. The court noted that every pregnancy decision is shaped by personal and private factors. While abortion ends a fetal life, the court said the decision still relates to a woman’s own health care.
Reactions across the state
Wellspring Health Access, the abortion clinic in Casper, welcomed the ruling and shared the news online. Abortion pills remain the most common method of ending a pregnancy in the United States.
Republican lawmakers who supported the bans voiced frustration. Wyoming’s governor, Mark Gordon, said he wants voters to decide the issue directly through a constitutional amendment later this year. He argued that the legal ruling does not end the moral debate.
