Wyoming Judge Halts 'Heartbeat' Abortion Ban in Latest Legal Blow

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Day.News) — Natrona County District Judge Dan Forgey on Friday granted a temporary restraining order against Wyoming's latest abortion restriction, halting a law that bans the procedure after detection of embryonic cardiac activity, typically around six weeks of pregnancy. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon in March after passage by the GOP-controlled Legislature during the 2026 session, took effect immediately but now faces suspension pending the lawsuit's resolution. The plaintiffs — including Wellspring Health Access, Wyoming's only abortion clinic, and other providers — argue the ban violates Article 1, Section 38 of the Wyoming Constitution, a 2012 voter-approved amendment guaranteeing competent adults the right to make their own healthcare decisions. Forgey agreed, writing that the challengers showed a 'sufficient showing of probable success' based on the state Supreme Court's January ruling in the Johnson case, which invalidated sweeping abortion and abortion pill bans on similar grounds. This marks the first major court ruling on abortion in Wyoming since the high court's decision, which restored legal access up to fetal viability, generally around 24 weeks. Forgey noted the plaintiffs demonstrated 'irreparable injury' without the injunction, while state defendants failed to counter persuasively. Abortion rights advocates celebrated the order, with Wellspring calling it a vital step after prior victories against broader prohibitions. The 'heartbeat' law emerged as legislators' response to the Supreme Court's rejection of total bans, attempting to thread a narrower path post-Dobbs. Wyoming joins a patchwork of state-level fights, with lower-court blocks contrasting voter-backed protections in several states since 2022. No immediate appeal plans were announced, but the case could escalate to the state Supreme Court.