Newly signed Wyoming law outlaws use of abortion pill

Robert Besser
21 Mar 2023, 22:15 GMT+10

A Wyoming bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills, which was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month, was signed into law by Governor Mark Gordon this week.
The Wyoming bill signed by Gordon makes it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion."
After a lawsuit was filed by anti-abortion groups, a federal judge in Texas is also considering a national ban on the abortion pill, mifepristone.

CHEYENNE, Wyoming: A Wyoming bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills, which was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month, was signed into law by Governor Mark Gordon this week.

After a lawsuit was filed by anti-abortion groups, a federal judge in Texas is also considering a national ban on the abortion pill, mifepristone.

The Wyoming bill signed by Gordon makes it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion."

However, contraception or "morning-after" pills used after sex, but before pregnancy, are exempted from the ban, along with any treatment necessary to protect a woman "from an imminent peril that substantially endangers her life or health," as well as any treatment of a "natural miscarriage, according to currently accepted medical guidelines."

Violations will be considered crimes and be punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $9,000, but a woman "upon whom a chemical abortion is performed or attempted shall not be criminally prosecuted."

A separate bill could be passed by state lawmakers to ban conventional abortion procedures, except in cases of rape or incest or to protect the health and life of the mother, Gordon said.

Ending a pregnancy if doctors determine there to be a lethal abnormality of the fetus is also exempted.

After a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, related legal fights have intensified in the US.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Vietnam Tribune.

More Information

30 ℃

Fair in Hanoi/Noi Bai

Southeast Asia

Section

Senior lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar shot dead in Quetta: Son points finger at PTI chief

Quetta, Pakistan - In a shocking turn of events, the son of prominent Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Abdul Razzaq Shar, ...

Over 102,000 Nepalis receive labor approval for Qatar in nine months

KATHMANDU, Nepal - The Nepalese National Human Rights Commission and Qatar's National Human Rights Commission signed a memorandum of understanding ...

WB had brought false allegations against Bangladesh govt: PM Hasina

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared on Wednesday that the World Bank had acknowledged its mistake of making ...

Minister warns ambassadors as Japanese envoy meets Election Commission, BNP leaders

DHAKA, Bangladesh - State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, has warned foreign ambassadors sternly, threatening them with consequences ...