Casper, WY (AP) — A Wyoming woman recently contacted the state’s sole abortion clinic to terminate her pregnancy, only to encounter further complications in her situation.
Well Spring Health Access complied with several new regulations to halt abortion services on the same day, as Caspark Lynick sought a license for a surgical center.
“The timing was really unfortunate for me,” said the woman, who chose to remain anonymous due to the stigma surrounding abortion in her community.
Abortions remain legal in Wyoming, yet they are becoming increasingly challenging to obtain due to new state requirements. Consequently, the woman had to travel to Colorado, which is nearby to southern Wyoming.
The Wyoming Supreme Court is scheduled to hear discussions regarding the state’s abortion laws on Wednesday, which have been paused by lower court judges. A ruling deemed it unconstitutional. However, even if the high court supports these decisions, the future of abortion access in Wyoming is still uncertain.
New state laws complicate abortion access
A recently enacted law specifically targets Well Spring Health Access, Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, mandating that it secure a license as an outpatient surgical facility.
This law also requires healthcare providers to have hospital privileges within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius. However, the nearby hospital, located just three blocks from the clinic, is not required to recognize local doctors.
“This is effectively an abortion ban disguised as regulations,” commented Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Well Spring Health Access.
Another new law mandates that women undergo an ultrasound at least 48 hours prior to a medication abortion, which could cost over $250 for travel, especially in rural areas lacking ultrasound services.
The Wyoming Legislature asserts its right to regulate abortions to safeguard women from the rare but serious risks associated with the procedure, as argued by attorney John Wajowsky at a recent court hearing concerning the new law.
Consequences of unstable abortion access
Typically, a transvaginal ultrasound is required to capture images of the fetus at the earliest stages of pregnancy when most abortions occur. This invasive procedure, particularly distressing for survivors of rape and abuse, prompted Republican Governor Mark Gordon to veto the ultrasound bill shortly after signing the surgical center regulations into law on February 27th.
The Republican-led legislature overturned his veto and subsequently filed a lawsuit against Wyoming abortion access advocate Chelsea, who leads Well Spring Health Access, as well as the licensing law.
Simultaneously, ongoing legal confusion has severely impacted access to Well Spring Health. An arson attack delayed services by almost a year, halting both medication and surgical abortions.
Around a dozen abortion opponents attended a hearing in Casper on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of suspending the law while the lawsuit continues. If approved, clinic abortions could resume, much to the dismay of opponents, noted Ross Schliftman, president of the local Wyoming Life to Life Chapter.
“There remains no guarantee that individuals performing abortions are licensed medical professionals in Wyoming, nor that they have continuing hospital care,” Schliftman said in an email.
Advocacy for abortion rights in Wyoming
A former Wyoming resident, who underwent an abortion in neighboring Colorado in 2017, sympathizes with rural women currently seeking abortion services.
“Winter is a tough time,” Ciel Newman said. Now residing in New Mexico, he added, “Wyoming is a vast rural state with limited interstate options.”
Burkhart highlighted that lawmakers passing the abortion law seem increasingly disconnected from their constituents, evident from Well Spring Health Access’s diminishing value.
“We had individuals coming in every week,” Burkhart remarked. “If people in Republican-led states or more traditional regions oppose abortion, they simply won’t show up, which could lead us to go out of business.”
Abortion access and health care in Wyoming
As the state Supreme Court prepares to deliberate a law passed in 2022 that seeks to prohibit abortion, women are simultaneously challenging this legislation. Medication abortion has been banned in the US.
Last November, a ruling in Jackson determined that the ban violated a 2012 constitutional amendment guaranteeing adults the right to make their own healthcare choices.
Even if the court rules in favor of these decisions, Well Spring’s access to health services will likely decline. Prior to the new laws, clinics used to accommodate up to 22 patients daily, with 70% seeking abortions.
At present, Well Spring Health Access does not perform abortions and serves approximately five patients each day, all of whom are transgender individuals undergoing hormone replacement therapy.
In total, 23 other states, including 14 where abortion is not completely banned, have enacted similar regulations as Wyoming’s, often referred to by opponents as “targeted regulations of abortion providers” or TRAP laws. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization advocating for abortion access, surgical center licensing and hospital privileges are common requirements.
Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, few states have enacted TRAP laws, yet abortion remains a contentious issue in various cases. Missouri’s licensing law was curtailed until it was blocked by a judge, noted Kimya Forouzan, state policy advisor at the Guttmacher Institute.
“These laws continue to heavily influence the ability to provide care,” Forouzan remarked in an email.
Longer journeys for abortion services
A Wyoming woman seeking a surgical abortion from Well Spring Health Access recently had to travel over four hours from her hometown to a Planned Parenthood facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.
“I was strongly in favor of abortion, but it’s not something I ever thought I would have to personally consider,” she shared.
“It was a humbling experience,” she continued. “It deepens the compassion we have for those who have sought abortions, or who cannot choose that path.”
Source: apnews.com