March 20, 2023 |
Photo – Governor Gordon Signing Documents – Bigfoot99 file photo
Wyoming made national headlines this weekend by joining other red states in drawing a hard line against abortion after the fall of Roe v Wade.
Governor Mark Gordon Friday night signed into a law a bill passed by the legislature prohibiting abortion pills in the state. The governor also allowed a separate measure restricting abortion, House Bill 152, to become law without his signature.
In a statement, Gordon expressed concern that HB 152, also known as Life is a Human Right Act, will result in a lawsuit that will “delay any resolution to the constitutionality of the abortion ban in Wyoming.”
Earlier Friday, plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit filed a preemptive challenge to the new law if the governor did not issue a veto.
While touting his history of signing pro-life laws, the governor noted that the legislature’s piecemeal approach of tweaking the abortion law each session delays a final legal decision from the courts.
The governor said a better approach would be to allow voters to decide, with a constitution amendment settling the issue.
In his statement, Governor Gordon said, “If the Legislature wants to expressly address how the Wyoming Constitution treats abortion and defines health care, then those issues should be vetted through the amendment process laid out in Article 20 of the Wyoming Constitution and voted directly on by the people.”
The governor said he understands both the legislature’s intent to improve Wyoming’s pro-life legal framework as well as the legislative findings included in Life is a Human Rights Act. The Governor added that they are not a “substitute for an expression of the people when it comes to constitutional matters.”
The plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit, filed in Teton County, over last year’s abortion law filed their preemptive lawsuit over the Life is A Human Rights Act on Friday, before the governor allowed it to become law without his signature. The new law, which repeals last year’s abortion trigger legislation, bans abortions, except in cases of rape and incest, or if the mother’s life is in danger.
The abortion bill the governor did sign is Senate File 109, which prohibits chemical abortions.
Wyoming’s ban on abortion pills would take effect in July, pending any legal action potentially delaying its implementation. The effective date of the ban on all abortions in HB 152 is not specified in the bill.
In another win for cultural conservatives, the governor allowed legislation barring biological males from competing in women’s high school sports to become law without his signature. The governor said that while he supports and agrees with the overall goal of fairness in competitive females sports, he described the ban as “overly draconian.”
The culture flashpoint bills were part of the Governor’s final actions related to the 2023 General Legislative session.
