Editor:
Wyoming reproductive and bodily freedom is under attack by Wyoming Legislators like never before. This year the attacks on reproductive freedom and anti-trans legislation go hand in hand, as they are both about controlling which bodies are respected and who gets to make choices about their own lives. Decisions about our bodies, including abortion and gender transition, are deeply personal choices that should be made solely by the person seeking healthcare — free from political interference.
Our Wyoming legislators forgot that it is unconstitutional for a state to bar access to a medication approved by the federal government. SF 109 violates the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says that federal laws — in this case, Congress’s decision to authorize the F.D.A. to regulate drugs like mifepristone — have priority over conflicting state laws. The proposed Wyoming legislation violates the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause, which prohibits states from impairing interstate commerce. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s regulations around the medications should preempt Wyoming state laws.
People are also reading…
Governor Gordon needs to veto a trio of harmful bills making their way to his desk: SF 109 (bans medication abortion); HB 152 (bans abortion care in Wyoming); and SF 133 (bars trans kids from playing sports). These bills do nothing to help in Wyoming. These bills will most likely result in future legal battles and wasteful spending on lawsuits for years to come.
When Wyoming women and transgender people are free to control our own healthcare decisions, we’ll know that our bodies are truly respected.