WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wyoming on Friday became the first U.S. state to ban the use of abortion pills, the latest salvo in a campaign by conservative-led states to reduce access to abortion.
After signing the ban on abortion pills, the Governor of Wyoming Mark Gordon called on lawmakers to do more by proposing that a total ban on abortion be added to the state constitution and then submitting it to voters for approval.
“I believe this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible so that the issue of abortion in Wyoming can finally be resolved, and that is best done with a vote of the people,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
The Wyoming action comes amid a flurry of activity across the country by anti-abortion groups seeking a total ban on abortion following a historic event Supreme Court in power last year.
A pending ruling is also looming in a federal courtroom in Texas, where a judge is expected to rule shortly on a possible nationwide ban on a widely used abortion pill.
The pill, mifepristone, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration over a decade ago and has been legally available for years.
Texas judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could order that the abortion pill be withdrawn from the market throughout the country.
Texas lawmakers are also considering a proposal that would not only ban abortion pills, but also require internet service providers in the state to block access to websites where these pills are for sale by mail.
Gordon, the governor of Wyoming, has said he will not back down in the fight against abortion.
“I believe that all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn child, should be treated with dignity and compassion,” Gordon said Friday evening in a letter to the Secretary of State.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned a 1973 ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right, anti-abortion activists have sought ways to enact a nationwide ban.
About 15 states already restrict access to mifepristone by requiring a doctor to provide it, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.
After signing the ban on abortion pills, the Governor of Wyoming Mark Gordon called on lawmakers to do more by proposing that a total ban on abortion be added to the state constitution and then submitting it to voters for approval.
“I believe this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible so that the issue of abortion in Wyoming can finally be resolved, and that is best done with a vote of the people,” the Republican governor said in a statement.
The Wyoming action comes amid a flurry of activity across the country by anti-abortion groups seeking a total ban on abortion following a historic event Supreme Court in power last year.
A pending ruling is also looming in a federal courtroom in Texas, where a judge is expected to rule shortly on a possible nationwide ban on a widely used abortion pill.
The pill, mifepristone, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration over a decade ago and has been legally available for years.
Texas judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could order that the abortion pill be withdrawn from the market throughout the country.
Texas lawmakers are also considering a proposal that would not only ban abortion pills, but also require internet service providers in the state to block access to websites where these pills are for sale by mail.
Gordon, the governor of Wyoming, has said he will not back down in the fight against abortion.
“I believe that all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn child, should be treated with dignity and compassion,” Gordon said Friday evening in a letter to the Secretary of State.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned a 1973 ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right, anti-abortion activists have sought ways to enact a nationwide ban.
About 15 states already restrict access to mifepristone by requiring a doctor to provide it, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.
