The answer to the headline question appears to be no, but readers can decide based on responses from Gov. Mark Gordon’s office.
As Wyoming News has reported, the state is still awaiting the implementation of House Bill 92, signed by Gordon on March 15, the trigger law that prohibits most abortions (baby murder) in the case that the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Roe v. Wade were overturned, which unequivocally happened on June 24 in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization majority opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito.
While Wyomingites await the slaughter of innocent unborn children finally being criminalized in the state, several other states have already enacted laws to protect the unborn. The status of state laws is effectively the same as last week when Wyoming News last reported on the issue.
Life Site News reported this week: “As of Tuesday, laws in around 10 states have now taken effect criminalizing abortion throughout pregnancy with virtually no exemptions. A handful of other states have sharply restricted the murder of unborn children within their borders, and several more could enforce bans in the coming days and weeks following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling.”
As for H.B. 92, the law included a review process by the attorney general’s office as well as a 5-day wait after Gordon certifies the results of that review making July 29th the date when the law goes into effect if the full review takes place. That review provided the attorney general’s office a period of “within 30 days,” which is clearly not a required 30 days.
Why was that review process put in place? Likely in the case there was a question if Roe was indeed overturned, but Alito made no room for subjectivity in his Dobbs opinion which not only overturned Roe but also the 1992 opinion under Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” Alito’s opinion concluded.
Seems like the only review necessary was a quick reading of that conclusion, doesn’t it?
However, when asked for a timeline for the review, Gordon’s office implied to Wyoming News that the full process would be used.
Wyoming News followed up this week to point out that the 30 days of review was not required as well as hoping to finally get answers to several questions related to enforcement of H.B. 92, which remain unanswered.
“The Wyoming Attorney General is currently analyzing the decision and the Governor is awaiting her analysis before proceeding with certification. The Governor doesn’t have additional comment on the bill, its provisions or the timing of the AG’s review,” Michael Pearlman, communication’s director, responded.
Pearlman also pointed Wyoming News to Gordon’s statement after the June 24 Dobbs opinion was released.
“This is a decisive win for those who have fought for the rights of the unborn for the past 50 years,” Gordon said. “I signed Wyoming’s prohibition on abortion bill because I believe that the decision to regulate abortions should be left to the states.”
A nice sentiment that answers nothing and is tantamount to just political pandering to his base.
Why does it matter that H.B. 92 be expedited, when clearly there is no need for a full 30 days of review? Because the planned first surgical abortion facility in the state, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, still plans to open and offer abortions, which is still one of the “services” listed on its website.
That is one of the questions awaiting an answer, whether or not that murder facility was provided state licensing to surgically murder babies, and if so, has that licensing been revoked with H.B. 92 set to take effect.
Gordon’s office was asked if state or local police would enforce H.B. 92, if abortifacients (medical abortions) are included in the abortion prohibitions and if he supports removing the exemptions for rape and incest included in H.B. 92 as there is support from state legislators to remove those exemptions.
Wyoming News was told that those questions would be included in the attorney general’s review of the Dobbs opinion, but why? Aren’t such enforcement questions ones that should have been discussed and determined after H.B. 92 was signed in March, and isn’t the current review simply to determine if Roe was indeed overturned?
And take note of the abortifacients question. Nearly 200 babies have been murdered over the last two years in Wyoming through use of abortion pills. If abortifacients are not covered under H.B. 92, what does the overturning of Roe really change in Wyoming? Sure, the surgical abortion facility should be stopped from operating surgical abortions, but babies will still be slaughtered with use of drugs rather than surgery.
As residents await the implementation of H.B. 92, hopefully they will finally have answers to how the law will be enforced. Wyoming News will follow up when answers are ready.
