No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will.
But that’s exactly what extremist politicians across the country are trying to do.
From Texas and Arizona to right here in Wyoming, politicians are working extremely hard to prevent people from getting an abortion or to shame them out of having one.
This year, there’s not just one, but two anti-abortion bills still up for debate in the Wyoming Legislature.
Senate File 83 would ban medications involved in early abortion care. And House Bill 92 would ban abortion completely pending a Supreme Court decision.
It is time for state lawmakers to stop interfering and to stop playing politics with health care. It is our right to access the health care we need, to decide when or whether we have children, and how we shape our lives. In fact, it’s our constitutional right. Reproductive freedom is a fundamental constitutional right grounded in the privacy protections of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. And laws that restrict our access to abortion are a violation of our civil rights and liberties.
Let’s be clear: Attacks on abortion care won’t stop Wyomingites from needing, and seeking, abortion care. They’ll just ensure that the most vulnerable Wyomingites have a much more difficult and costly experience accessing it. Bans and restrictions on abortion care disproportionately harm Black and Brown people, people struggling to make ends meet, those who are already parenting, folks in rural areas, undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit folks, and young people.
In the face of unprecedented restrictions and a Supreme Court stacked against us, now is the time to show up and fight for our communities. And when it comes to abortion rights in Wyoming, every action matters. We must keep going and we must do so in solidarity with all communities who are continuously subject to legislative attempts to violate our constitutional rights.
The ACLU of Wyoming will never stop fighting for abortion rights. When someone decides to have an abortion, it should be safe, accessible, and free from punishment or judgment. Now more than ever, we have to fight for everyone’s reproductive freedom.
Connect with your legislators today. Let them know how you feel and that you will never stop fighting. Let them know that the law is clear: The Constitution guarantees people the freedom to make health care decisions about their own bodies.
Enough is enough. It is time to end the attacks on reproductive freedom in Wyoming.
A version of this column also appeared in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
