Governor Mark Gordon is not mincing words about a Teton County judge’s decision about Wyoming’s abortion laws.
On Monday, Judge Melissa Owens struck down Wyoming’s two abortion bans, ruling they violate the state constitution, keeping abortion legal in the Equality State.
Judge Owens concluded a ban on abortion and a prohibition against abortion medications — laws that were passed by state legislators in 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — conflicted with an-already decided 2012 constitutional amendment that protects individuals’ rights to make their own health care decisions.
Governor Gordon expressed his “frustration” in a statement saying, “Regardless of [Judge Owens] decision, it was clear there would be an appeal. I remain committed to defending the constitutionality of this law and the sanctity of life.”
Gordon added that he’s directed the Attorney General to look at the opinion and prepare an appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
In Judge Owens’ ruling, she maps out her decision as a clear-cut case of what Wyoming’s constitution guarantees a woman’s right when it comes to healthcare choices.
“The Defendants have not established a compelling governmental interest to exclude pregnant women from fully realizing the protections afforded by the Wyoming Constitution during the entire term of their pregnancies, nor have the Defendants established that the Abortion Statutes accomplish their interest,” Owens wrote. “The Court concludes that the Abortion Statutes suspend a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions during the entire term of a pregnancy and are not reasonable or necessary to protect the health and general welfare of the people.”
Owens put the bans on hold last year while considering the arguments for and against their constitutionality. The bans were challenged by a group of women, health care providers and an aid group who asserted the laws violated a dozen provisions of the Wyoming Constitution.
The case is expected to be appealed to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
