Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed on Monday Ban on abortion After fetal heart activity can be detected, generally at about six weeks of pregnancy and often before the woman knows she is pregnant.
This signing makes Wyoming the fifth state to ban abortions at this stage of pregnancy, along with Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina. Thirteen other states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.
Gordon, a Republican, said in a letter to lawmakers on Monday that he had some concerns about the law he signed because it did not include exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. “Where this action is inconsistent with my pro-life position is about caring for vulnerable populations,” he wrote.
The law makes exceptions in cases “to protect the woman from an imminent danger that significantly threatens her life or health, in accordance with appropriate medical judgment.”
Another problem is that the law “is very likely to return us to the familiar and unfortunate territory of pro-life litigation,” Gordon said. In January, the state Supreme Court halted the ban on abortion throughout pregnancy.
Already on Monday, Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access — the only clinic in the state that offers abortion and medication abortion procedures — said in a statement that she was prepared to challenge the new ban in court.
“This ban is an attack on Wyoming residents’ constitutional freedom to make their own health care decisions, and puts the health and well-being of our communities at risk,” she said.
Access to abortion in Wyoming has varied in recent years, in part because it was the only clinic in the state Set fire In 2022, its opening will be delayed. Sometimes, only medical abortion was offered. The state Department of Health says that in 2024, the last year for which records were compiled, there were 625 abortions in the state.
Katie Knotter, CEO of the Casper-based clinic, said it has provided 303 abortions in 2025. She said staff on Monday began referring past-pregnancy patients to providers in other states.
Whether states allow abortion has been in flux since a 2022 US Supreme Court ruling Which overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to impose prohibitions.