Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies and their futures — including the decision to have an abortion.
But the Senate Labor Committee this morning passed House Bill 92, legislation that would ban abortion entirely in Wyoming if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
The ACLU of Wyoming opposes House Bill 92. The legislation mimics other so-called “trigger bans” across the country that would take effect automatically under specific circumstances.
Keeping abortion safe and legal drastically reduces the odds of medical risk or death for women. Before Roe v. Wade, for example, illegal abortions were estimated to range from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year, and constituted at least 17 percent of all deaths attributed to pregnancy and childbirth in 1965 alone, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
“While residents of Wyoming will bear the brunt of this legislation, it is part of a larger effort by anti-abortion politicians to eliminate abortion access state by state, with the ultimate goal of banning abortion throughout the country,” said Libby Skarin, ACLU of Wyoming campaigns director. “We cannot allow Wyoming to be a pawn in an extremist agenda. Wyomingites deserve to have access to the health care they need. It’s time for lawmakers to stop judging and shaming Wyomingites who seek abortion care.”
About the ACLU of Wyoming
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Wyoming is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and South Dakota. The team in Wyoming is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ communities. The ACLU of Wyoming carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of Wyoming.
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