The Wyoming Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday regarding the state's abortion bans. These bans, which include the first explicit U.S. ban on abortion pills, were previously put on hold by a lower court judge.
Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens had blocked the bans passed since 2022. Her decision allowed abortion to remain legal in Wyoming.
One law would ban abortion except to protect a pregnant woman's life or in cases of rape and incest. Another law would make Wyoming the only state to explicitly ban abortion pills.
Four women, including two obstetricians, and two nonprofits, including Wellspring Health Access, filed lawsuits. They argued the laws harm women's health and violate a state constitutional amendment.
The state's attorneys dispute these claims, arguing abortion is not health care and thus not protected by the constitution. After Owens sided with the plaintiffs in November, the state appealed to the Supreme Court.
The same nonprofits and women are also challenging two other laws passed last winter. Wellspring Health Access ceased providing abortions on Feb. 28 due to these laws.
One law requires abortion clinics to be licensed as outpatient surgical centers, necessitating costly renovations for Wellspring Health Access. It also requires physicians to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
Another law mandates women have an ultrasound at least 48 hours before a pill abortion. A judge in Casper is considering a request to suspend these new laws while the lawsuit proceeds.
Wellspring Health Access opened in 2023, delayed by an arson attack. A woman was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime.