Wyoming clinic resumes abortions after judge suspends state regulations
One suspended 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.
Wyoming Health Access in Casper had stopped providing abortions on 28 February, the day after the Republican governor, Mark Gordon, signed the licensing requirement into effect.
The result: at least some people seeking abortions had to travel out of state. Now, people will once again be able to get abortions in central Wyoming while the two laws continue to be contested in court, Wellspring Health Access's founder and president, Julie Burkhart, said on Monday.
'We are immediately shouting it from the rooftop to make sure our patients know,' Burkhart said following the ruling. 'We are back to seeing patients the way we were on February 27.'
An abortion opponent questioned the need to contest the laws if the clinic was safe.
'The abortion business here in Casper could prove that they are providing safe services by complying with laws. Would that not make their point?' Ross Schriftman, the president of Natrona County Right to Life, said in an email statement on Monday.
Abortion has remained legal in Wyoming despite bans passed since 2022. The bans include the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills.
A judge in Jackson blocked the bans then struck them down in November on the grounds that abortion is allowed by a 2012 state constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right of competent adults to make their own health care decisions.
The Wyoming supreme court heard arguments in that case on Wednesday and is unlikely to rule for at least several weeks.
Meanwhile, the same people challenging the bans – Wellspring Health Access, the abortion access advocacy group Chelsea's Fund, and four women, including two obstetricians – have sued to block Wyoming's most recent two abortion laws.
The surgical center licensing requirement would require costly renovations to make Wellspring Health Access compliant, the clinic said in its lawsuit.
Gordon vetoed the requirement for an ultrasound at least 48 hours before a pill abortion, calling it onerous in cases of abuse, rape or when a person's health is at risk. State lawmakers voted to override the veto on 5 March.
The ultrasound requirement did not significantly affect clinic operations but Wellspring Health Access also suspended offering pill abortions to avoid legal complications. The law stands to add to the cost and complications for women getting pill abortions.
Opponents call laws like Wyoming's requirements 'targeted restrictions on abortion providers' because they can regulate clinics and abortion access out of existence even if abortion remains legal.
In blocking the laws while the lawsuit proceeds, district judge Thomas Campbell in Casper ruled that they too stand to violate the constitution.
Despite the new restrictions, Wellspring Health Access has remained open to consult with patients and provide hormone replacement therapy for transgender patients. The clinic opened in 2023, almost a year late after heavy damage from an arson attack.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
06-08-2025
- Daily Record
Donald Trump's niece says US president 'declining rapidly' as she lists dementia signs
Donald Trump's niece, Mary Trump, has taken to YouTube to discuss the US President's "obvious emotional and psychological decline". Donald Trump's niece has claimed the US President is showing obvious signs of "mental decline" as growing evidence hints he's "losing it every day". Mary Trump, who is the daughter of Donald's older brother Fred Trump Jr, took to YouTube to discuss her uncle's clear "emotional and psychological decline" in a video titled "Trump DECLINES RAPIDLY as Behavior RAISES CONCERNS." She listed the key signs she believes point to the 79-year-old's supposed cognitive decline, including a strange impromptu press conference he carried out on the White House roof on Tuesday, as well as his announcement of his bizarre plan to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. Mary's video comes after the White House confirmed Trump was suffering from a chronic venous insufficiency after growing concerns were raised about bruising on his hands. Chronic venous insufficiency is a vein condition that leaves the Republican politician with swollen ankles and constant bruising. However, his niece alleges he is also suffering with major cognitive decline, the Mirror reports. Mary said: "We've all become used to the fact that every time Donald stumbles, rambles, forgets people's names, wanders off the stage, or just pulls made-up facts out of thin air, in other words, lies, people on the right pass it off as if these are just fun little quirks of their dear leader and not the fact that every single day Donald Trump appears to be losing it." It comes after a US military veteran also said Trump's mental state is 'clear to see' with lawmakers being urged to 'act now'. Here are some of the examples Mary gave to add to her case. Trump's bizarre appearance on White House roof Mary first mentioned Trump's unannounced appearance on the White House roof to take questions from reporters, who were left gobsmacked as the 79-year-old marched up and down the top of the building. When asked "Sir, why are you up on the roof?" He shouted back "taking a little walk". Another asked: "What are you building?" Trump replied: "It goes with the ballroom, which is on the other side". Another reporter shouted: "What are you trying to build?" Trump responded: "Missiles. Nuclear missiles", while making the gesture of a rocket launching. Speaking of the incident, Mary said: "There he was on the roof of the White House in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon doing what exactly. Nobody knows. I don't believe he knows." She joked: "Maybe he was looking for his health care plan up there. "I don't think we really needed much more evidence that Donald is in cognitive decline and clearly emotional and psychological decline, but we have more now." Plans to build nuclear reactor on the moon Mary then suggested Trump's nod to nuclear missiles while on the White House roof may have triggered the announcement by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. She said: "Honestly the only thing I can say at this point is what the actual f***. "Because we can't pretend that any of this is okay, that any of it is acceptable anymore. This is dangerous. "We have the president of the United States on a roof for no reason that anybody's aware of talking about nuclear reactors on the moon." She said Trump may be displaying symptoms of a specific type of dementia. She added: "He is deteriorating cognitively. He is deteriorating psychologically. Could it be something like frontotemporal demention? Could it simply be cognitive decline due to his advanced age and very poor physical health? "Again, not mutually exclusive and I'm not saying it's one thing or another because I don't have access to him, but I'm a human being who observes things and nobody who's telling the truth would say that any of this is normal or acceptable." 'Embarrassing' CNBC interview Mary then addressed Trump's 'embarrassing' appearance on CNBC on Tuesday. She said: "Donald is adept at embarrassing himself, but he seems particularly adept at doing so on live TV. There was one moment that actually stood out more than the rest." She explained: "This is where Donald dropped his filter entirely and said the quiet part out loud, which is happening with increasing frequency, about his push for redistricting in Texas and potentially other red states." In a clip played by Mary, Trump is heard saying: "I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats." Reacting to this, Mary said: "For weeks, Republicans, Donald included, have insisted that this redistricting was about competitiveness, not politics. But now Donald made it very clear on live television that he believes he is entitled to five more seats in Texas simply because he won the state in 2024. I think it should go without saying that that's not how any of this works." She continued: "Despite being the president of the United States of America, Donald continues not to understand, even into his second term, how the government works." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Trump butchers Kristi Noem's name Mary concluded by slamming a press conference about the 2028 Olympics held by her uncle on Tuesday. She noted: "Surrounded by his staff with whom he speaks daily, he couldn't even manage to get their names right." During the press conference, Trump mistakenly introduced Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as Cristie Kerr, a pro golfer. Mary said: "Now, Donald obviously has golf on his brain constantly, but it is getting harder for him to keep things straight. I'm telling you, I am often wondering if he is even oriented to place and time because it so often seems as if he is not. "That is not something we should put up with." Mary added: "Right now, the person allegedly in charge seems most of the time not even to know where he is."
The Herald Scotland
30-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Marjorie Taylor Greene says there is genocide in Gaza, amid starvation
More: Two Israeli rights groups say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza Hers is an uncommon statement in a caucus that has rallied around Israel since October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel has strongly rejected claims that the country is perpetuating a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Recently the Israeli military announced it would pause action in certain parts of Gaza for hours each day and increase aid drops in the enclave. Reports of mass starvation have spread since Israel first cut off supplies to the region in March, then reopened aid lines, with new restrictions, in May. More than 125 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said over the weekend. A 5-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on July 26. In recent weeks, more than 800 people have been killed while trying to reach food, according to the United Nations, mostly in shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. "I can unequivocally say that what happened to innocent people in Israel on Oct 7th was horrific," Greene wrote in an earlier social media post over the weekend. "Just as I can unequivocally say that what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific." "This war and humanitarian crisis must end!" Her post on July 28 calling Israel's attack on Gaza a genocide was part of a direct criticism of her Republican colleague Rep. Randy Fine, who was elected in April to fill the seat vacated by former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Fine, a Jewish member of Congress and staunch defender of Israel, has been outspoken on social media, denying the crisis in Gaza in multiple posts and writing in another, "starve away."
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- The Guardian
Texas sues New York official for refusing to take action against abortion provider
Texas has sued a New York official for refusing to take action against an abortion provider, teeing up a state-versus-state battle that is widely expected to end up before the US supreme court. Ken Paxton, Texas's attorney general, has petitioned the New York state supreme court to order a county clerk to enforce a fine against Dr Margaret Carpenter, a New York doctor accused of mailing abortion pills across state lines. Paxton accused Carpenter last year of mailing abortion pills to a Texas woman in defiance of Texas's ban on virtually all abortions. After Carpenter failed to show up in a Texas court, a judge ordered her to pay more than $100,000 in penalties. But the acting Ulster county clerk, Taylor Bruck, in New York has twice rejected Paxton's efforts to levy that fine. Under New York's 'shield law', state law enforcement officials are blocked from complying with out-of-state prosecutions against abortion providers who ship pills to patients, even if those patients are located outside New York state. 'No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state's pro-life laws,' Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement announcing Monday's filing. Bruck, 34, said that he was just following New York state law. 'I'm just proud to live in a state that has something like the shield law here to protect our healthcare providers from out-of-state proceedings like this,' Bruck said. 'This has the potential of getting appealed up and up and up.' Paxton's petition marks the latest escalation in the burgeoning clash between states that protect abortion rights and those that do not. In the three years since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, abortion opponents in red states have repeatedly tried to push for legislation and litigation that would curtail people's ability to cross state lines for abortions or to receive abortion pills in the mail. Meanwhile, blue states, including New York, have enacted an array of shield laws to preserve people's abortion access. The US supreme court will probably be forced to step in to settle these debates between states, legal experts say. 'Ultimately, it's a states' rights argument,' Bruck said, adding that he remains 'still stunned by the whole thing'. 'It's not something I was really expecting, coming into this role,' Bruck said. 'It's really unprecedented for a clerk to be in this position.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
