CHEYENNE, Wyoming (LifeSiteNews) – The Wyoming state House passed new abortion legislation designed to replace a preexisting trigger law with the caveat that the law would go into effect five days after the governor certifies the state Supreme Court’s potential overturning of a previous trigger law.
The Life is a Human Right Act, sponsored by Republican state Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, does not allow babies to be killed because they were conceived in rape or incest, and allows the state attorney general and district attorneys to sue abortionists. The bill passed with a 46-16 vote in the Republican-controlled House with an amendment that introduced the caveat for its taking effect.
Critics of the Life is a Human Right Act argue that the legislation has unconstitutional provisions, such as allowing the state legislature to interpret laws in conjunction with the judiciary, and a provision that allows individual state legislators to defend state laws in court.
Some in the state House, voicing their constitutional concerns, worried that the new legislation, if found unconstitutional, would have left no abortion ban in place, the Laramie Boomerang reported.
Republican Barry Crago, believing that the state’s previous trigger law would be upheld by the state Supreme Court and weary of the legislation’s constitutionality, introduced the caveat amendment during debate. Speaking about the amendment, Crago said “I think it’s kind of a compromise in between the two positions that are being put forth on this floor.”
Rodriguez-Williams criticized the amendment, saying that it was “detrimental” to the bill and that it was “unfriendly to the pro-life movement.” She also stated that supporters of the bill do not think that it would be subject to a preliminary injunction.
“[The amendment] eliminates the whole purpose of the bill. It ensures that abortions continue in Wyoming for the next two years while the highest court of this state gets to the matter. All this time the preliminary injunction allowing for abortions will continue,” she added.
Crago responded to criticism by noting, “I appreciate that the sponsors on this bill have consulted their attorneys over and over and over again. But if those lawyers told the sponsor that the passage of this bill will not result in an immediate injunction, you need a new lawyer. I’ve consulted my lawyers. They’re all on this amendment.”
“I heard the previous speaker talk about, ‘It’s unfriendly, this amendment is unfriendly to the pro-life movement,’” Crago continued. “I’ll tell you what’s unfriendly to the pro-life movement: prolonging the litigation longer than we have to, waiting and waiting, just waiting for another answer years down the road.”
The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Last March, Wyoming Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed the state’s trigger law that would have banned most abortions in the state pending the reversal of Roe v. Wade. A court blocked the law from going into effect in July at the request of abortionists. A trial date for the trigger ban has been set in December, after which it could be appealed in the state Supreme Court.