Wyoming Attorney General Bridget Hill has said the state’s abortion restriction law is “fully authorized” after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“The Office of the Wyoming Attorney General stands ready to defend it,” Hill wrote in an analysis of the Supreme Court decision and trigger law, which prohibits most abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest or serious risk to the mother’s life.
Bridget Hill
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATTORNEYS GENERAL
Dr. Giovannina Anthony, an OB-GYN in Jackson, said the abortion restriction law’s threat of a felony and 14 years in prison for providers and vague language could make it too terrifying for doctors to provide health care to pregnant women. There could be a risk to the fetus with many medical procedures. For example, a pregnant woman with cancer might be sent out of state for treatment, she said.
“The people who will suffer the consequences are the patients, and they are all pregnant women,” Anthony said Thursday.
Hill sent the legal analysis to Gov. Mark Gordon. If the governor certifies to Secretary of State Ed Buchanan that Roe v. Wade has been overturned in a way that makes the law enforceable, it will go into effect five days later.
“The governor has received the attorney general’s analysis,” Michael Pearlman, Gordon’s spokesman, said Thursday. “He will give it prompt attention, review it overnight and consult with the attorney general before proceeding.”
If Gordon certifies the measure, Pearlman said, the five-day buffer will begin the day after certification. For example, if Gordon certifies the bill Monday, the countdown would start Tuesday.
Since the Supreme Court decision dropped four weeks ago, physicians, patients and abortion rights activists have been scrambling to prepare for the law’s activation. Others have quietly celebrated.
“Pro-lifers quietly rejoice because many of us have been praying for Roe v. Wade to be overturned,” Teton County Right to Life representative Elaine Kuhr said earlier this week, “and now we see the Lord answer our prayers in His sovereign timing.”
Billy Arnold has been covering the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the people who manage it since January 2022. He previously spent two years covering Teton County government, and a year editing Scene. Tips welcomed.
Please note: Online comments may also run in our print
publications. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Please turn off your CAPS LOCK. No personal attacks. Discuss issues & opinions
rather than denigrating someone with an opposing view. No political attacks. Refrain from using negative
slang when identifying political parties. Be truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or
anything. Be proactive. Use the “Report” link on each
comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with us. We’d love to hear eyewitness
accounts or history behind an article. Use your real name: Anonymous commenting is not
allowed.
.
The News&Guide welcomes comments from our paid subscribers.
Tell us what you think. Thanks for engaging in the conversation!
(1) comment
Doctors should have complete clarity about what is legal or illegal.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Please note: Online comments may also run in our print publications.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Please turn off your CAPS LOCK.
No personal attacks. Discuss issues & opinions rather than denigrating someone with an opposing view.
No political attacks. Refrain from using negative slang when identifying political parties.
Be truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the “Report” link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts or history behind an article.
Use your real name: Anonymous commenting is not allowed.
.
The News&Guide welcomes comments from our paid subscribers. Tell us what you think. Thanks for engaging in the conversation!