A Wyoming judge suspends abortion clinic regulations while a lawsuit proceeds
District Judge Thomas Campbell issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by Wellspring Health Access and others to challenge the laws. One law requires clinics providing surgical abortions to be licensed as outpatient surgical centers and the other requires women to get an ultrasound before a medication abortion.
Wellspring Health Access stopped providing abortions Feb. 28, the day after Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed the licensing requirement into law. The clinic has continued to provide hormone replacement therapy for transgender patients.
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 woman's health is at risk. State lawmakers voted to override the veto March 5.
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.
The surgical center licensing requirement would require costly renovations to make Wellspring Health Access compliant, the clinic said in its lawsuit.
The ultrasound requirement did not significantly affect clinic operations but Wellspring Health Access also suspended offering pill abortions to avoid legal complications.
The clinic opened in 2023, almost a year late after heavy damage from an arson attack.
Abortion has remained legal in Wyoming while the same groups and women challenge state abortion bans passed since 2022 that include the first explicit ban on abortion pills in the U.S. Arguments before the state Supreme Court in that case were made April 16 in Cheyenne.
A state district court judge ruled in November that the bans violated the Wyoming Constitution, specifically a 2012 amendment that says competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Brazil's former president Bolsonaro temporarily leaves house arrest for medical exams
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 Rua contributed reporting in Brasilia.
The National
5 days ago
- The National
NHS Fife 'broke the law' claims EHRC amid Sandie Peggie tribunal
The Herald reports that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has told the health board to carry out an equality impact assessment, after it emerged one had not been carried out ahead of NHS Fife allowing a transgender doctor to use female changing facilities. Peggie, a nurse, was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about 'patient care'. READ MORE: Scottish Enterprise panned for lack of checks on Israeli-linked arms firms Peggie then lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. The tribunal has become a flash point for gender-critical campaigners and anti-trans groups, with For Women Scotland, which took the case regarding the definition of a woman to the Supreme Court, being permitted to lodge a written intervention to the tribunal. Peggie's legal team requested a copy of any relevant impact assessments undertaken by the health board in August 2024. According to the Herald, the health board responded that it had not. This led to the EHRC writing to NHS Fife on multiple occasions. They said that under the Equality Act 2010, the health board had a 'duty to assess and review proposed new or revised policies or practices' and to publish them within a 'reasonable period'. The Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman as 'biological sex' was handed down on April 16 2025, after the EHRC first wrote to NHS Fife. The judgment led to the EHRC to release interim guidance – which banned transgender people from using the facilities of their acquired gender. It also made it compulsory for workplaces to provide single-sex facilities, a statement it would later retract. A consultation is currently underway, before the EHRC releases its full guidance. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, the Equality Act had been seen as including transgender women with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) as women. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, EHRC chair, said: 'Undertaking an equality impact assessment of relevant policies or practices, and publishing the results, are requirements of the PSED Specific Duties in Scotland. We believe NHS Fife failed to meet these requirements and told them to carry one out immediately. (Image: PA) 'NHS Fife has now confirmed that it has commissioned an equality impact assessment and anticipates it will be published by September 30. 'Since we first wrote to NHS Fife, the Supreme Court ruled on the definition of 'sex' in the Equality Act. The EHRC has been clear that all duty-bearers should be following the law, as set out in the judgment handed down on April 16. NHS Fife has assured us that it is following our advice to review the implications of the judgment for its policies and procedures, seeking specialist legal advice where necessary. 'We continue to urge NHS Fife to progress the corrective actions we directed without delay. These steps are essential to protect NHS Fife staff from discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, including sex, religion or belief, and gender reassignment. 'We will continue to engage with NHS Fife and monitor its progress and the outcome of the measures it has committed to taking, to ensure compliance with the Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty.' In response, a spokesperson for the health board said: 'NHS Fife acknowledges the Equality and Human Rights Commission's media release of 13 August 2025 and welcomes its continued engagement and oversight. READ MORE: Pro-Palestine protesters meet JD Vance as he lands in Scotland 'We are committed to working constructively with the EHRC to provide assurance that we fully understand, and are meeting, our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. 'This includes considering the implications of the recent Supreme Court ruling and the EHRC's interim guidance. 'A comprehensive review and audit of our facilities has been completed, and an Equality Impact Assessment is underway. This will be concluded and published by 30 September 2025. 'Our priority is to ensure that all NHS Fife policies and practices protect the rights of our staff and comply fully with equality legislation.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Outcry in India as Delhi moves to remove 'all ONE MILLION' stray dogs from its streets following rabies outbreak
India 's top court ordered authorities in the capital Delhi and its suburbs on Monday to remove all stray dogs, following a rise in rabies cases, particularly among children. India's Supreme Court took up the case after several reports in local media of stray dogs biting children in Delhi, with some turning fatal. On Monday, news outlet Live Law reported that the court told authorities in Delhi to pick up stray dogs from across the city, sterilise and vaccinate them and move them to dog shelters. The court ordered officials to set up multiple shelters across Delhi. These shelters need to be capable holding at least 5,000 dogs and having sterilisation and vaccination facilities, as well as being equipped with CCTV facilities to make sure strays don't escape. The court also ruled that Delhi needs to set up a hotline for citizens to report dog bites and rabies cases. 'Infants and young children, should not at any cost, fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiment should be involved,' the court said, according to Live Law website. Local media reports suggest that Delhi alone has 1 million stray dogs, though this number could not be independently verified. The city saw more than 35,000 animal bites, which largely came from dogs, in the first six months of this year alone. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, for the Delhi government, urged for strong intervention as 'sterilisation only prevents the increase in their population, but it does not take away the power of the dogs to give rabies,' the website reported. However, the move has drawn criticism from conservationists over its implementation. 'Where are the shelters to house thousands of dogs?' conservation biologist Bahar Dutt said in a post on X, calling the top court's order an 'impractical unscientific move'. 'We need mass vaccination & mass sterilization — the only humane, proven ways to reduce conflicts,' Vidit Sharma, founder of animal welfare organization Save A Stray, said on X. Nishima Bhagat, who attended a candlelight march in the centre of the city on Monday night to protest against the court ruling, told the Guardian: 'We are walking in solidarity to show that there are people for the voiceless. They [the dogs] cannot speak for themselves. 'They cannot be put into the pounds. We cannot uproot them from the place where they live.' Mini Aravindan, a senior official at Peta India, said: 'It's infeasible to build and staff enough shelters for hundreds of thousands of dogs' and the cost would be huge. The Indian government said in April that nearly 430,000 cases of dog bites had been reported across the country in January, compared with 3.7 million cases all through 2024. India has 52.5 million stray dogs, according to a State of Pet Homelessness survey by Mars Petcare, while 8 million homeless dogs are in shelters.
