United States: Wyoming becomes the first US state to ban the abortion pill

Europe 1 with AFP 11:27 am, March 18, 2023

Wyoming on Friday became the first U.S. state to ban the abortion pill, which is another 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.

A decision on this subject also expected in Texas

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 Amarillo Court in 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).

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Texas federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryak could order it to be removed from the market nationwide. 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.

Fifteen states restrict access to the abortion pill

Mark Gordon, 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.