On Friday, Wyoming became the first U.S. state to ban the use of abortion drugs. This is coming after the latest campaign in the conservative-led states to roll back access to abortion.
After signing the drug ban, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called on legislators to propose a constitutional ban on abortion in the state and submit it to voters.
“I believe this question needs to be decided as soon as possible so that the issue of abortion in Wyoming can be finally 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. The groups are seeking to win a total ban on abortions following a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year.
Also looming is a ruling in a federal courtroom in Texas, where a judge is expected to decide imminently on a possible national ban on a widely used abortion pill.
The pill, mifepristone, was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than a decade ago. Similarly, it has also been legally available for years.
Texas judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could order the abortion pill taken off the market across the country.
Texas legislators are also considering a proposal that would not only ban abortion drugs but also require internet service providers in the state to block access to websites where such pills are for sale by mail.
Gordon said he would not back down in the fight.
“I believe all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn, should be treated with dignity and compassion,” He said in a letter Friday evening to the secretary of state.
The US Supreme Court last year overturned a 1973 ruling that established the process as a constitutional right. Since then, anti-abortion activists have sought ways to enshrine a ban across the nation.
About 15 states already limit access to mifepristone by requiring a physician to provide it. This is according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research group.
cc: Punch Ng
