Wyoming has just given a new turn of the screw. This state became, Friday, March 17, the first on American territory to ban the abortion pill, which is a new victory for conservatives who intend to roll back access to abortion in the United States.

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called on lawmakers to go further and enshrine a total ban on abortion in the state's constitution and put it to a vote.

The move comes as many abortion opponents seek to ban the abortion pill across the United States, following the Supreme Court's decision last year to bury abortion rights at the federal level. Since then, fifteen states have decided to ban all abortions on their soil.

A decision on this subject is also expected soon in court in Amarillo, Texas, where an ultraconservative federal judge is expected to render a decision on a possible federal ban on mifepristone (RU 486). This pill, the most widely used for medical terminations of pregnancy, was authorized in 2000 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Texas federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryak could order it to be removed from the market nationwide.

Restricted access to mifepristone in several states

Texas lawmakers are also considering a proposal that would not only ban abortion pills, but also require state internet providers to block access to sites where these pills are sold by mail order.

The governor of Wyoming has said he has no intention of backing down in his fight against abortion.

"I believe that all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn, must be treated with dignity and compassion," Gordon said Friday night.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court handed over its freedom to legislate to each state in June last year, about fifteen of them have limited access to mifepristone by requiring a doctor to provide it, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which defends women's right to abortion.

If the federal judge in Texas rules for a national ban on the abortion pill, abortion rights groups say it will have as big a impact as last year's Supreme Court ruling.

With AFP

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