Jackson OB-GYN Dr. Giovannina Anthony, second from left, a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Wyoming’s new ban on most abortions, hugs her attorney after Ninth District Court Judge Melissa Owens issued a temporary order blocking the law Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Jackson. (Kathryn Ziesig/Jackson Hole News&Guide/Pool) A district court judge issued a temporary order Wednesday blocking implementation of a new abortion-ban law, finding that a coalition of women and healthcare providers were likely to prevail in their challenge and that they risked irreparable harm if the law remained in place. Ninth District Judge Melissa Owens ruled from the bench shortly after 4 p.m. and said the order would be effective immediately. She made her ruling after about three hours of arguments witnessed by a standing-room-only crowd of about 50 women and a handful of men. “Wyoming citizens voted into law that they have a fundamental right to make their own healthcare decision,” Owens said, citing a 2012 constitutional amendment. “The Legislature declaring that abortion is not healthcare takes away from the duty of this court,” to decide constitutional questions, she said. “That violates the separation of powers.” Implementation and enforcement of House Bill 152 – Life is a […]
