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Wyoming Supreme Court Voids Abortion Bans, Citing State Health‑Care Rights

Invoking a 2012 amendment that safeguards personal medical choice, the court said the state failed to justify the restrictions under strict scrutiny.

Overview

  • The ruling strikes down the 2023 Life Is a Human Right Act and the nation’s first explicit abortion‑pill ban, keeping abortion legal in Wyoming.
  • The decision was 4–1, with Chief Justice Lynne J. Boomgaarden writing the majority opinion and Justice Kari Jo Gray dissenting.
  • Justices concluded that Article 1, § 38 of the Wyoming Constitution guarantees competent adults the right to make their own health‑care decisions and that the state failed to meet its burden under strict scrutiny.
  • Wellspring Health Access, Chelsea’s Fund and four women, including two obstetricians, brought the case after a Teton County judge had previously blocked and then struck down the laws.
  • Governor Mark Gordon called for lawmakers to pursue a constitutional amendment to put abortion policy before voters, while separate 2025 clinic regulations are still being litigated.