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March 18 (UPI) -- Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has allowed a sweeping anti-abortion measure that passed the state legislature to become law without his signature while also signing an abortion pill ban. In doing so on Friday, Gordon expressed concerns that the state's Life is a Human Right Act would trigger court battles, potentially delaying an ultimate outcome on the status of abortion in Wyoming.
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"If the legislature wants to expressly address how the Wyoming Constitution treats abortion and defines healthcare, then those issues should be vetted throughout the amendment process laid out n Article 20 of the Wyoming Constitution and voted on directly by the people." Gordon said.
Separately, the governor signed a less expansive law outlawing medication abortions, commonly known as "the abortion pill," except in cases of rape or incest or when the mother's life is in danger.
The new law makes it "unlawful to prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion," but doesn't criminalize people who would take the medication.
An earlier version of the Life if a Human Right Act didn't have an exemption for cases of rape and incest, which could have triggered court challenges.
The newer version includes exemptions for rape, incest, and instances where the mother's life is in danger.
"Gov. Gordon's decision to sign these bills into law is disappointing, but the fight for abortion rights in Wyoming isn't over," the Wyoming chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said in a tweet. "We will continue to challenge efforts contrary to our right to make our own reproductive health care decisions."
