Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon Friday signed a bill which bans abortion pills in Wyoming and allowed a separate measure with further abortion restrictions to be passed without his signature. The abortion pills (misoprostol and mifepristone) are already fully banned in 13 states, and 15 states have restricted access and production of abortion pills.

The bill makes it “unlawful to prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion on any person.” However, this does not apply to the prescription of any contraceptive, treatment of natural miscarriage or treatment needed to save the mother only if her life is in “imminent peril.” Anybody who violates this legislation would face up to six months in jail and/or a fine up to $9,000, but women will not face criminal prosecution for seeking or receiving an abortion through abortion pills.

Medicinal abortions are the most common form of abortion in the US, and after the overturning of Roe v. Wade (which protected the right to abortions), their use has been challenged by other states like Texas. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has claimed that abortion pills have been used by 5.6 million women with negligible adverse effects.

As well as the ban on abortion pills, Gordon issued a larger general ban on abortion. The prior bill was blocked because it was said to have violated Wyoming’s constitutional guarantee of freedom in health care decisions. The general bill outlines that no abortion shall be performed after the fetus has reached viability and provides clarification for the prohibition of the use of funds for abortion. This bill was passed without signing as Governor Gordon stated that signing the bill would give rise to various lawsuits that will “delay any resolution to the constitutionality of the abortion ban in Wyoming.”

Wyoming American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and NARAL condemn the Wyoming bans on abortion. NARAL’s President stated that “these bans should alarm everybody in every corner of our country” and ACLU’s advocacy director said that health should come before politics, including abortion. Wyoming’s ban on abortion pills will be fully implemented in July.