Wyoming women get temporary victory for abortion meds
Legal challenge to medication abortion ban will be heard next April
A Wyoming judge blocked a medication abortion ban that was set to take effect on July 1.
Teton County Judge Melissa Owens ruled that it couldn’t go into effect until after the legal challenge had been resolved. Several pro-abortion agencies and organizations filed a complaint in the ninth judicial district in Teton County on March 17. The law that forbids medication abortion also details punishment for pharmacists who provide mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs that work in tandem to cause an abortion.
Abortion medication is the primary method of ending pregnancies in Wyoming. With windy and snowy weather, traveling to abortion clinics for aspiration care is often difficult or impossible. So the people seeking abortions rely on telehealth and the mail to get what they need.
Christine Lichtenfels, a board member of Chelsea’s Fund, said if the judge had ruled against them, it would have threatened abortion access for most women in the state.
“There would have been a lot of need that could not be met in Wyoming because we don’t have the capacity for procedural,” Lichtenfels said.
It’s possible this legal challenge could head all the way up to the state supreme court and beyond. The trial date for the current case is set for next April.
Lichtenfels said the state may make a motion for summary judgment, where a judge makes a ruling on statements and evidence without going to trial.
Anyone who wants to help pay for legal expenses can donate to Chelsea’s Fund.
“We will continue to fight the litigation is going to be extensive and extended. We expect significant litigation expenses that go along with that.”