Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed a bill on Friday outlawing abortion pills, making the state the first to do so in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.
The “Prohibiting Chemical Abortions” bill mandates that any physician or person who distributes, prescribes, or otherwise provides abortion pills could face prison for a maximum of six months and a fine of up to $9,000. Women who go through with or attempt chemical abortions cannot be criminally prosecuted.
“The intent of SF 109 is to protect the unborn from chemicals that seek to destroy human life,” the bill’s sponsor state Sen. Tim Salazar said in a statement to Students for Life Action. “By passing this legislation, Wyoming will make a clear statement that we wish to protect the unborn and women from these dangerous drugs that are used in the taking of an unborn child’s life through abortion.”
The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute found that mifepristone, the first drug used in a two-drug abortion regimen, is used for more than half of all abortions in the United States. In 2020, the drug accounted for 53 percent of all abortions, up from 39 percent in 2017.
Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino explained how drug-induced abortions work in his videos about various abortion procedures. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks the action of progesterone, which the mother’s body produces to nourish the pregnancy. When progesterone is blocked, the lining of the mother’s uterus deteriorates, and blood and nourishment are cut off to the developing baby, who then dies inside the mother’s womb. The second drug, misoprostol, (also called Cytotec) then causes contractions and bleeding to expel the baby from the mother’s uterus.
Abortion pills are already banned in 13 states “that have blanket ban on all forms of abortions,” and 15 states “have limited access” to them. But until now, no state had passed a law prohibiting abortion pills explicitly, the Associated Press reported.
Gordon also allowed a separate pro-life measure, called the “Life is a Human Right Act” to become law without his signature. According to CBS News, Gordon expressed concern the measure would result in a lawsuit that will “delay any resolution to the constitutionality of the abortion ban in Wyoming.” Wyoming already has a a law that bans abortions; however, a judge blocked the law last year amid ongoing litigation.