US: Wyoming judge stays state's first-in-nation ban on abortion pills

A Judge has ruled that, for now, abortion pills will remain legal in the United States of Wyoming. The judge's ruling means that while a lawsuit proceeds, the state's first-in-the-nation law banning access to medical abortion medicine won't take effect on July 1st as planned. The ruling was given by Teton County Judge Melissa Owens.

This comes as Wyoming became the first US state to specifically ban abortion pills. Before this, many states have banned the medication de facto by prohibiting abortion.

Why did the judge stay the implementation of the abortion ban?

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As per an AP news agency report, attorneys for Wyoming failed to show that allowing the scheduled ban would not harm the plaintiffs of a lawsuit currently in court.

Two nonprofit organisations, including a Casper-based abortion clinic along with four women — including two obstetricians — have sued to challenge the law banning abortion pills. They asked the judge to suspend the ban while their lawsuit plays out.

AP reports that they are also suing to stop a new, near-total ban on abortion in Wyoming state.

Judge Owens has reportedly combined the two Wyoming lawsuits against new restrictions into one case. The Judge had suspended the state's general abortion ban just days after it took effect in March of this year.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade

The two new laws were enacted after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June of last year. The ruling had protected the right to abortion for US women for nearly five decades.

Since then, overturning of the historic Roe v. Wade judgment, some 25 million women and teenagers have been subjected to either stricter controls on ending their pregnancies or almost a total ban on the procedure that is often a medical necessity.

First-in-nation ban

In March 2023, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed into law America's first explicit ban on abortion pills.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, medical abortions had emerged as the predominant choice for abortion in the nation. A two-pill combination of mifepristone and another drug is as per CBS News, the most common form of abortion in the US.

In 13 US states, there are blanket bans on all forms of abortion, including abortion bills, 15 other states have limited access to medical abortions.

(With inputs from agencies)

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