Wyoming has become the first state in the US to ban abortion pills, a move that has been met with condemnation from the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ). Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed the law into law, which will take effect in July. The bill also allows for a separate measure that restricts abortion to become law without the Governor's signature.
This move comes after 13 states have already implemented blanket bans on all forms of abortion and 15 states have put restrictions on access to abortion pills. The ban will include exceptions for cases of rape, incest, a lethal fetal anomaly that will prevent the fetus from surviving or to protect the life of the mother. '
The issue of access to abortion pills took center stage in a Texas court this week when a federal judge raised questions about a Christian group's effort to overturn decades-old US approval of a leading abortion drug, mifepristone. Governor Gordon expressed concern that the Life is a Human Right Act would result in a lawsuit that will delay any resolution on the constitutionality of the abortion ban in Wyoming.
ACLU advocacy Director Antonio Serrano criticized Gordon's decision to sign the ban on abortion pills. Since the reversal of Roe in June, abortion restrictions have been up to states and the landscape has shifted quickly. Thirteen states now enforce bans on abortion at any point in pregnancy, with Georgia banning it once cardiac activity can be detected or at about six weeks gestation. Courts have put enforcement of abortion bans or deep restrictions on hold in Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming.
Gordon also urged a state referendum on abortion, but the ACLU and other pro-choice groups are hoping to overturn the ban on abortion pills and other restrictive measures before they take effect.