Wyoming’s Republican Governor Mark Gordon rejected a bill last week that would have required abortion facilities to meet the same facility regulations as ambulatory surgical centers while also mandating that women receive an ultrasound before an abortion.
In his veto, Gordon, who has previously supported abortion restrictions, stated that he believes the legislation would only get tied up in the court system and further detract from a current case regarding a more expansive law that would protect nearly all preborn children in the state from abortion.
“We remain in purgatory,” Gordon said. “I am vetoing this bill in an effort to keep our current court case on track for a speedy resolution on the issue of the constitutionality of the Life is Human Right Act and the Prohibition of Chemical Abortions law.”
However, Gordon also said he was vetoing the bill because of the amendment which mandated an ultrasound prior to abortion.
“I am disappointed that the original bill proposed by Representative [Martha] Lawley, which would have provided an appropriate fix to regulate surgical abortion clinics, was amended and arguably subsequently burdened with considerations that misaligned it with laws Wyoming is currently defending before the courts,” he wrote.
Lawley responded to Gordon’s veto with dismay.
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“This bill passed with overwhelming support in both the House and Senate,” she wrote in a statement. “I find Governor Gordon’s reasons for vetoing this bill completely unpersuasive. Furthermore, as I read the many letters coming from the Governor, I have a growing concern about Executive branch overreach into both the Legislative and Judicial branches.”
Had Gordon signed the bill, the state’s only surgical abortion facility would have likely been forced to close, at least temporarily. Now, the facility remains open, a development the ACLU of Wyoming described as “thrilling.”
“[T]his unnecessary bill was an attempt to use government regulation to shut down clinics and strip Wyomingites of abortion access,” the group said.
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus has called for a special legislative session in the hopes of overriding Gordon’s veto.
