Wyoming Supreme Court Upholds Legal Abortion, Striking Down State's Ban

Thu Jan 08 2026 16:01:06 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a pivotal ruling, the Wyoming Supreme Court has declared abortion legal, addressing laws that sought to ban abortion pills and enforce restrictions on reproductive rights. This decision comes amid ongoing debates about abortion laws in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that recent laws aimed at banning abortion, including the first explicit ban on abortion pills, violate the state's constitution, confirming the right of competent adults to make their own healthcare decisions. The ruling is a significant victory for reproductive rights advocates in the state, while Governor Mark Gordon has called for a proposed constitutional amendment to be considered by voters to restrict abortion.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws that include the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills, ruling Tuesday that they violate the state constitution.

The justices sided with the state’s only abortion clinic and others who had sued over the bans passed since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund, and four women, including two obstetricians, argued that the laws violated a state constitutional amendment ensuring that competent adults have the right to make their own healthcare decisions.

Attorneys for the state argued that abortion cannot violate the Wyoming constitution because it is not considered health care. However, the justices recognized that the amendment wasn’t specifically written to apply to abortion.

“But lawmakers could ask Wyoming voters to consider a constitutional amendment that would more clearly address this issue,” the justices wrote in summarizing their 4-1 ruling.

Governor Mark Gordon expressed disappointment over the ruling and called on state lawmakers to pass a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion, a measure which could appear on the ballot for voters this fall.

He stated, “This ruling may settle, for now, a legal question, but it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself. It is time for this issue to go before the people for a vote.”

One of the laws overturned sought to ban abortion entirely except to protect a woman’s life or in cases of rape or incest. The other law would have made Wyoming the only state to ban abortion pills explicitly, despite other states having implemented de facto bans on abortion medication through broader prohibitions.

Abortion has remained legal in Wyoming since 2024 when Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens blocked these laws, ruling them unconstitutional.

In summary, the ruling represents a significant moment in the state’s ongoing abortion debate, emphasizing the constitutional rights of individuals in making personal health decisions.