Wyoming outlaws abortion pills as Texas judge mulls nationwide ban of key drug

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon on Friday signed into law a bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills that was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month. Advertising Read moreGordon, a Republican, signed the law as a federal judge in Texas considers ordering a nationwide ban on the abortion pill mifepristone in response to a lawsuit by anti-abortion groups. The crux of the two-page Wyoming bill is a provision making it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion." Gordon acknowledged that abortion rights proponents who have already challenged Wyoming's "trigger" abortion ban that went into effect after the Roe v. Wade decision have filed suit to block the newly passed Wyoming ban preemptively. The governor expressed concern that enactment of the new abortion ban could muddy the legal waters, creating a new obstacle to swift resolution of the matter by the courts.