Lawmakers in the Wyoming House passed two bills last week that would protect women and preborn children. One bill will require women to receive an ultrasound before taking the abortion pill, and the other will regulate abortion facilities.
House Bill 64 would require all women to receive a transvaginal ultrasound no less than 48 hours before receiving the chemical abortion pill. The ultrasound provider would be required to document the age, length, and head diameter of the preborn child, as well as offer the mother the opportunity to “view the fetal heart motion.” Violators would be charged with a felony, and face a maximum of five years in prison and/or up to a $20,000 fine.
“I want the mother to be able to have time to think about this,” Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, who sponsored the bill, said. “I do, I absolutely believe life is precious. That we should do everything that we possibly can to protect it. ”
The bill passed the House with a vote of 48-13.
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House Bill 42, which passed with a vote of 52-8, would require abortion facilities to meet the same standard requirements as ambulatory surgical centers. Such regulations often include requirements that hallways be wide enough to fit an ambulance gurney and abortionists obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The rules are meant to keep women safe and are especially important in the event that emergency services need to be called — something that happens with alarming frequency at abortion facilities.
“There can be botched abortions, and then there’s a need for a higher level of care for that patient,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Martha Lawley, said.
A similar bill was passed last year by both the House and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Mark Gordon, who said he wanted to keep focus on the state’s law protecting nearly all preborn children from abortion. That law has been at the center of an ongoing legal battle; in November, District Judge Melissa Owens placed an injunction putting it to a halt, as she called it “unconstitutional.” Gov. Gordon has said that the state will appeal the court’s decision.
Both HB 64 and HB 42 will now head to the state Senate for consideration.
