Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law Friday a bill outlawing the use or prescription of abortion pills, making it the first state to ban abortion pills.
The law was passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month.
The bill includes a provision that makes it illegal to “prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell, or use any drug for the purpose of obtaining or performing an abortion.”
The morning after pill, a contraceptive used immediately after sexual intercourse and before a woman has confirmed her pregnancy, is exempt from the ban.
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Wyoming became the first state to ban abortion drugs. ((AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, file))
There are also exemptions when treatment is required to protect a woman “from imminent danger that seriously endangers her life or health” or for “spontaneous abortion in accordance with currently accepted medical guidelines”. .
Anyone who breaks the new law is subject to a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $9,000.
The measure states that “a woman for whom a chemical abortion has been performed or attempted will not be criminally prosecuted.”
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Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law Friday a bill outlawing the use and prescription of abortion pills. (Rhianna Gelhart/The Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP, File)
Gordon also said he would allow another bill banning abortion procedures to be enacted without his signature. The bill, passed by state legislators, protects the health and life of a mother except in cases of rape, incest, or necessary to terminate a pregnancy in which a doctor determines that the fetus has a fatal abnormality. This procedure is prohibited unless necessary to comply.
Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, many legal challenges have been filed across the United States regarding abortion law. A High Court ruling allowed states to enact their own laws regarding access to abortion.
Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, many legal challenges have been filed across the United States regarding abortion law. (Joshua Cummins/Fox News Digital)
Gordon admitted that after Wyoming’s “trigger” abortion ban went into effect after the Roe v. Wade reversal, abortion access advocates filed lawsuits to preemptively block new laws on abortion drugs. rice field.
Reuters contributed to this report.
