Wyoming Judge Will Rule on State’s Abortion Bans

A District Court Judge in Wyoming is scheduled to decide on Thursday whether or not a trial weighing the constitutionality of two abortions bans should proceed. Both the plaintiffs and the defendants are requesting a summary judgment from Owens, instead of a full bench trial scheduled for April 15.

Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens will either issue a ruling as soon as today upholding or striking down the bans, or will decide to send the case to trial. Thursday’s decision will likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court. 

The bans in dispute are a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions to save the life of the mother, rape and incest, as well as a ban on medication abortion.

Four women, two obstetricians and two non-profit organizations, are challenging the bans, arguing that lawmakers do not have the right to determine if abortion qualifies as healthcare, and that the bans would harm their health and well-being, according to the Associated Press.

The plaintiffs in the case claim the state constitution gives Wyomingites the right to make healthcare decisions. 

The defendants, which include the governor, state attorney general, Teton County Sheriff and Jackson chief of police, maintain that the bans are constitutional, per the WyoFile.

Owens has blocked both bans from taking effect three times in the last year, while legal challenges continued to play out.

In March, Owens temporarily blocked the near-total abortion ban, which was only in effect for a few days. And in June, she temporarily blocked a measure that would have outlawed the use of abortion pills.