Abortions set to resume at Wyoming's only clinic following court ruling
Wellspring Health Access said it will resume abortions on Thursday, following a temporary injunction granted by a district court judge, which halted the laws from taking effect as the case progresses.
One law would require clinics providing surgical abortions to be licensed as outpatient surgical centers. The other would require women to get an ultrasound before a medication abortion. The ultrasound legislation passed despite a veto from Gov. Mark Gordon (R).
The clinic has been unable to see patients since the evening of Feb. 27, when Gordon signed the licensing requirement bill into law. The legislation required abortion clinics to be regulated as 'ambulatory surgical centers' and for physicians to have specific admitting privileges, licensing and data reporting requirements.
Opponents say the licensing legislation is a type of TRAP law — an abbreviation for Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers — that singles out the medical practices of doctors who provide abortions and imposes requirements that are more costly and burdensome than those imposed on other medical practices. They are designed to regulate clinics and abortion access out of existence even if abortion remains legal.
Julie Burkhart, Wellspring's president and founder, said the clinic will reopen on Thursday.
'We are delighted and relieved that we can once again see patients at our clinic in Casper. Individuals from every corner of Wyoming rely on us for quality, reliable reproductive health care,' Burkhart said in a statement. 'We look forward to reopening our doors — starting Thursday — and welcoming patients from across the Mountain region and beyond.'
Wyoming has sought to enact two abortion bans since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022: one banning abortion broadly, and another banning abortion medication specifically. Both were declared unconstitutional by a state judge in November.
The Wyoming Supreme Court heard arguments in that case last week but is unlikely to rule for several months.
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USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Democrats try to force nuns to pay for abortions. Sounds authoritarian to me.
Blue states like California and Pennsylvania refuse to leave the Little Sisters of the Poor alone – and couldn't care less about their religious beliefs. The Little Sisters of the Poor are back in the news. In case you've forgotten who they are and why they matter, let's briefly review what they're all about. According to the group's website, the Little Sisters' mission is to ensure that "the elderly and dying are cared for with love and dignity until God calls them home.' The Little Sisters work in 31 countries and began work in America in 1868. Today, the nuns operate about 20 homes in the United States. It's a lovely mission and one that they should be allowed to do in peace, free from interference from the government. No such luck, however. Blue states like California and Pennsylvania refuse to leave the Little Sisters alone and couldn't care less about their religious beliefs. Since the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act birth control mandate that required employers to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their health insurance plans, the Little Sisters have been locked in a legal battle for the past 14 years. Despite clear wins for the nuns and religious liberty at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 and 2020, Democrats continue to persecute the Little Sisters. Will they ever stop? Will the Little Sisters have to make a third trip to the Supreme Court? That's 'absurd.' A federal district court in Philadelphia has revived the vindictive fight, siding with Pennsylvania and New Jersey against a 2017 Trump administration religious conscience rule, which offered the nuns and other religious groups protection from the mandate. Now, these states want the Little Sisters to offer contraception and abortion drugs or face millions of dollars in fines. 'The district court blessed an out-of-control effort by Pennsylvania and New Jersey to attack the Little Sisters and religious liberty,' Mark Rienzi, president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters, said in a statement. 'It is absurd to think the Little Sisters might need yet another trip to the Supreme Court to end what has now been more than a dozen years of litigation over the same issue.' The Little Sisters will appeal this decision, but it truly is ridiculous that they must waste time fighting the government in this way, when all they want to do is serve people in need. And lest you think it's odd to be talking about nuns and contraception, the Little Sisters employ lay people who work as nurses, cooks and serve other roles in the group's homes for the elderly. The nuns don't want to be complicit in providing services that directly violate their deep belief in the sanctity of life, which guides their work. They shouldn't have to. There are other ways the government could provide contraceptives to these employees without pushing the nuns to do it. Progressives claim Trump is an authoritarian. They should look at themselves. For all the times we've been scolded about how Trump and his supporters are fascists and Nazis, progressives ought to take a hard look at themselves first. Democrats have decided their views on culture are the only ones that should matter, religious liberty be damned. Look at how liberal governments have gone after Catholic adoption agencies, Christian bakers, website designers and farmers and tried to force them to betray their faith just to participate in the public square. These are often yearslong court battles, much like the Little Sisters have undertaken. Thankfully, we have a strong First Amendment that protects our speech and religious freedom. And the Supreme Court keeps ruling on the side of protecting these essential liberties, which are promised in our Constitution. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in writing the majority for the 2020 case, observed that the Little Sisters 'have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs.' Five years later, the fight continues. It's time for Democrats to leave these nuns alone. Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@ or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Abortion pill fight reaches pharmacy board rooms
A year after the Supreme Court preserved abortion pill access, the fight over dispensing mifepristone is shifting from courtrooms to boardrooms as anti-abortion forces press pharmacy chains not to sell the drugs. The big picture: Costco last week said it won't stock mifepristone at its more than 500 pharmacies. Conservative groups are pushing other pharmacies — including Walgreens and CVS, which offer the pills in states where abortion is legal — to follow suit. "We can effectuate real change by talking to these companies and engaging with them," said Michael Ross, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom's corporate engagement team. "Hopefully Costco will be a trendsetter." But those efforts are making retail pharmacies a new ground zero in the fight over abortion access. Costco got swift criticism from one of its home-state senators, Washington Democrat Patty Murray, for accommodating "far-right extremists" she said were whipsawing the availability of basic care. Between the lines: Pharmacy chains were destined to be involved after the Food and Drug Administration in 2023 allowed retailers to apply for certification to dispense mifepristone, which is part of a two-step protocol used to medically end a pregnancy through 10 weeks. The drug, which FDA first approved in 2000, has traditionally been dispensed at doctors' offices, hospitals or health clinics. But as states across the country restrict abortion, mifepristone prescribing via telehealth has significantly increased. State of play: Costco says it won't pursue approval to dispense mifepristone because demand for the drug is low. The company's understanding is that patients generally get the drug directly from their medical providers, it said in an email. But the decision, which reportedly came after more than a year of deliberations, is one anti-abortion groups have been pushing for. It extends beyond Costco's membership, since nonmembers can fill prescriptions at its drug counters. Last August, Alliance Defending Freedom led a coalition including thousands of Costco cardholders, financial advisers and consultants in urging the retailer not to offer mifepristone. "Costco ... needs to carefully consider the cost of alienating its diverse customers and potential customers just to boost one product in its pharmacy, which is one of its ancillary lines of business," their letter said. That pressure campaign followed New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (D) sending letters to Costco and other pharmacies, advocating that they get clearance to fill prescriptions where legal. "Making mifepristone available benefits customers and employees and increases sales, while also generating long-term shareholder value," Lander wrote to Costco last year. But abortion foes have allied with investor groups like Inspire Investing to warn Costco, Walmart, Albertsons, Kroger and other retail pharmacy operators as well as drug distributors to stay out of divisive political issues that could alienate customers and investors. "We say, OK, mifepristone may be a very small part of your sales, but look at all of the different backlash that you might be introducing, the different regulatory backlash from the Trump admin and the legal risk," Ross said. The Trump administration, Congress or the Supreme Court could still change requirements around the drug. The Supreme Court in 2024 preserved access to mifepristone, deciding that doctors who asked justices to stop the FDA's relaxation of restrictions around the drug didn't have standing, without ruling on the merits. In May, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he'd directed the FDA to "to review the latest data on mifepristone" — a move that could restrict future availability. Other large pharmacy chains like Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons have not made public decisions on mifepristone dispensing. Kroger told Axios it's still reviewing the FDA's mifepristone drug safety program and will continue to align dispensing practices with federal and state law. Walmart declined to comment, and Albertsons did not respond. The other side: Curbing mifepristone access could make it even harder for women to access safe abortions, as well as miscarriage care, for which it has an off-label use. "By refusing to offer mifepristone, Costco has chosen politics over science, fear over facts, and ideology over the rights of its customers," Mini Timmaraju, CEO of advocacy group Reproductive Freedom for All, said in a statement last Friday. What we're watching: How Walgreens and CVS respond to pressure to stop filling mifepristone prescriptions.
4 days ago
Brazil's former president Bolsonaro temporarily leaves house arrest for medical exams
SAO PAULO -- SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's Former President Jair Bolsonaro temporarily left house arrest Saturday to undergo medical exams in Brasilia, after a judge authorized him to spend six to eight hours at a hospital. Doctors at DF Star hospital said Bolsonaro was admitted for evaluation of fever, cough, persistent gastroesophageal reflux and hiccups. Tests revealed residual signs of two recent pulmonary infections, as well as persistent esophagitis and gastritis. He was discharged later in the day and will continue treatment with medication. He has been hospitalized multiple times since being stabbed at a campaign event before the 2018 presidential election. His most recent surgery was in April, for a bowel obstruction. Bolsonaro is on trial at the Supreme Court over his alleged attempt to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A five-justice panel is expected to deliver verdicts and sentences on five counts against him between Sept. 2 and 12. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing. The far-right leader has been under house arrest since Aug. 5. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case, said Bolsonaro violated precautionary measures by spreading content through his three lawmaker sons. A small group of fewer than 20 people gathered outside DF Star hospital Saturday, claiming Bolsonaro is a victim of political persecution. Some thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called the prosecution a 'witch hunt' and linked his decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports to Bolsonaro's legal troubles. ___ Luís Nova contributed reporting in Brasilia. ___
