Two bills aimed at restricting abortions passed the Wyoming House of Representatives this week.
One bill, HB 64, requires women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound no more than 48 hours before taking abortion medication. It includes a requirement for the ultrasound provider to tell a woman the age, length and head diameter of the embryo or fetus and give the woman the “opportunity” to view or hear the heartbeat.
Another, HB 42, is the return of a bill Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed last year. It aims to up requirements of facilities performing in-clinic abortions, of which Wyoming has only one, in Casper.
Wellspring Health Access Executive Director Katherine Knutter told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle the bill was “specifically targeted to put us out of business.”
Supporters of HB 64 have emphasized a desire to increase safety while abortion remains legal in Wyoming.
“I’m not going to bring you a bill that is designed necessarily to prevent an abortion,” bill sponsor and Speaker of the House Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) said on the floor last week. “That is my hope […] but actually this piece of legislation is designed to be able to provide safety to the woman.”
The state’s ban on abortion medication and nearly all abortion procedures was deemed unconstitutional in November by District Court Judge Melissa Owens.
Neiman also said, though, that his goal was to add a step for the mother to have more “time to think about this.”
“To be completely transparent,” he said, “I do want that little tiny person to have the opportunity to be seen once before its life has ended.”
Rep. Elissa Campbell (R-Casper) was one of a minority of lawmakers to voice opposition. Campbell said she’s “pro-life,” but added the bill went too far in the patient-doctor relationship.
“This is what government overreach looks like,” she said. “It is a shaming tool.”
All three of Teton County’s representatives voted against the bill on its final House reading on Jan. 30, which passed 48-13.
The bills have yet to be introduced in the Senate. That’s expected next week and, if passed, could become law unless vetoed by Gordon. A third bill, HB 159, would make drug manufacturers liable for traces in Wyoming water of pills used for abortions and other treatments. It would also require someone using abortion pills to “catch” their fetal tissue and return the tissue to their physician for disposal. It passed committee last week and is expected to be debated on the House floor.
