Wyoming judge halts state's abortion pills ban
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Packages of Mifepristone tablets at a family planning facility in Rockville, Maryland, in April 2023. Photo" Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A Wyoming judge halted the state's new ban on abortion pills on Thursday just days before the law was set to take effect on July 1.
Why it matters: Wyoming was the first state to move to ban the pills, which were used for more than half of all U.S. abortions in 2020.
- Demand for the pills skyrocketed after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
- The pills will remain legal in the state pending the outcome of a lawsuit against the ban brought by a group that includes nonprofit organizations, medical providers and Wyoming abortion clinic Wellspring Health Access.
Of note: The group also filed a lawsuit against the state's near-total abortion ban, which was also temporarily blocked by Wyoming's Ninth District Court Judge Melissa Owens in March.
- The abortion ban would essentially supersede the medications ban by outlawing most abortions regardless of the method used.
- That means if Wyoming’s near-total abortion ban goes into effect, a prohibition on medication abortion would be largely symbolic.
The big picture: Owens ruled that the state failed to show that allowing the law to go into effect before the lawsuit was resolved wouldn't hurt the plaintiffs, according to AP.
