Wyoming to ban abortion pills as nationwide battle over abortion laws continues

Amid a nationwide battle over medication abortion, Wyoming's governor signed into law Friday a state ban on abortion pills in what appears to be the country's first such state law.

Medication abortions make up well over half of all abortion procedures. Fifteen states have limited access to abortion pills, including six that require an in-person physician visit, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate are awaiting a decision in a closely watched lawsuit that could force the major abortion pill mifepristone off the market nationwide. A Texas judge heard arguments in the case this week, and a ruling could come at any time.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, at least 13 states are currently enforcing abortion bans at any point in pregnancy while one more, Georgia, bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

In states including Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming, courts have put on hold the enforcement of bans or severe restrictions of abortion rights.

Meanwhile, a South Carolina bill that would allow the death penalty for people who have abortions is losing support among Republican lawmakers. And states including New Mexico and North Dakota had recent wins for abortion access advocates.

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Wyoming Gov. signs bill prohibiting abortion pills

The new Wyoming law makes the manufacturing, distribution and sale of abortion pills a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $9,000. But it exempts people who take abortion pills themselves from criminal liability.

The ban on abortion pills will take effect in July, though legal action challenging the law may delay that.

Gordon also on Friday allowed another anti-abortion bill to become law by leaving it unsigned for three days. This sweeping bill strengthens bans against using government funds for abortion care. It also bans the distribution or sale of abortion pills with penalties of up to $20,000 and five years in prison. Gordon acknowledged the discrepancies between the two bills may create confusion in a letter.

Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access, the state's only procedural abortion clinic, said the clinic is working with their legal team to discuss next steps. She said she is "dismayed and outraged" by the decision.

"Abortion is health care, no matter what these laws say," she said in a statement.

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South Carolina bill allowing death penalty for abortion loses support

A South Carolina bill that would make a person who has an abortion eligible for the death penalty was introduced in January won support among 21 House Republicans. Many of these lawmakers have since asked to remove their names from the legislation.

Nine Republicans who had co-sponsored the bill have pulled out, saying they don't support the bill's existing language and aim to prosecute or charge people for their own abortions, NBC News reported. It is unlikely the bill will become law.

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Wins for abortion rights advocates in New Mexico, North Dakota

Among recent wins for abortion access advocates, New Mexico passed a bill Friday that aims to safeguard abortion providers and patients from out-of-state interference. The bill will now go to the desk of the state's Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is expected to sign it into law.

The North Dakota Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower court's ruling that blocks the state's abortion "trigger ban" from going into effect, saying the state's constitution includes a fundamental right to abortion to preserve the life and health of the mother. But the injunction on the abortion ban is temporary while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds.