Wyoming Judge Blocks Six-Week Abortion Ban, Citing Constitutional Concerns
A state trial judge in Wyoming has blocked the enforcement of a six-week abortion ban, marking the second legal setback for the state's anti-abortion measures this year. Judge Dan Forgey of the Wyoming District Court in the Seventh Judicial District ruled that the ban, which imposes felony criminal and mandatory civil licensure penalties on abortion providers, cannot be enforced pending a trial on its constitutionality. The ban was challenged on the grounds that it substantially restricts access to abortion before six weeks, a time when many women may not yet know they are pregnant, and acts as a complete prohibition after that period. The plaintiffs argued that the ban exposes providers to criminal and administrative penalties, delays procedures for pregnant patients, and compels doctors to perform invasive ultrasound examinations, which cannot be adequately compensated through monetary damages if the provision is ultimately declared unconstitutional. 
