Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill on Friday that outlaws the use or prescription abortion pillsIt has become the first state to ban the narcotic.
The legislation was passed by the state’s GOP-controlled legislature earlier this month.
Included in the bill is a provision that makes it illegal to “prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing abortion.”
Morning-after pills, a contraceptive used immediately after sex but before a woman can confirm her pregnancy, would be exempt from the ban.
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Wyoming became the first state to ban abortion pills. ((AP Photo/Alan G. Breed, File))
There are also exemptions when treatment is necessary for a woman “from an imminent crisis that substantially endangers her life or health” or for “natural abortion according to currently accepted medical guidelines”.
Those who violate the new law will be subject to a criminal misdemeanor, which can lead to up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $9,000.
A woman “who performs or attempts a chemical abortion shall not be criminally prosecuted,” the measure notes.
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Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill on Friday making the use or prescription of pharmaceutical abortion pills illegal. (Riana Gelhart/Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP, File)
Gordon said he is also allowing a separate bill banning abortion procedures without his signature. The measure, passed by state lawmakers, bans the procedure except when necessary to protect the health and life of the mother, in cases of rape or incest, or to terminate a pregnancy in which doctors determine the fetus has a fatal abnormality. Is.
There have been several legal challenges across the US regarding abortion laws since the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. Supreme Court In June. The High Court ruling allowed states to enact their own laws on access to abortion.
There have been several legal challenges across the US regarding abortion laws since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in June. (Joshua Cummins / Fox News Digital)
Gordon acknowledged that supporters of abortion access, who challenged Wyoming’s “trigger” abortion ban when it came to Roe v. Wade’s overturning, has filed suit to preemptively block the new law on abortion pills.
Reuters contributed to this report.