Women trying to get the abortion pill in Wyoming now need to undergo an ultrasound after state lawmakers overrode the governor’s earlier veto of a bill requiring the procedure.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) vetoed the “Chemical abortions-ultrasound requirement” bill earlier this week citing concerns over its invasive nature and the bill’s lack of exceptions for victims of rape or incest.
“It creates the prospect of an unnecessary, intimate, and invasive procedure (transvaginal ultrasound) which subjects women to an uncomfortable and potentially traumatic experience in what may already be a very overwhelming situation,” Gordon wrote in a letter to Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman (R), the bill’s main sponsor.
Under the bill, women seeking to end a pregnancy using abortion medication need to receive a transvaginal ultrasound at least 48 hours before receiving the necessary pills.
During the procedure, a health care provider inserts a device called a transducer into the vagina to record images of the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
State senators voted to override Gordon’s veto of the bill in a 22-9 vote on Wednesday following a House vote in which members voted 45-16 to do the same.
Wyoming became the first state to try to outlaw abortion medication in 2023, but both surgical and chemical abortions remain legal as multiple bans on the procedure remain tangled in court.
There are 10 other states that require an abortion provider to perform an ultrasound on a person seeking an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Among those states, eight require the provider to offer patients the chance to look at the image of their ultrasound.
Reproductive rights advocates in the state called the move by the Legislature “cruel.”
“We are saddened so many legislators lack empathy for women seeking abortion care and fundamental respect for women’s decision-making ability,” Christine Lichtenfels, executive director of the reproductive access nonprofit Chelsea’s Fund, said in a statement.
“Chelsea’s Fund is already challenging this unconstitutional, unnecessary and demeaning bill in court, and stands ready to help every Wyomingite who needs assistance accessing abortion care,” she added.
