House Bills 42 and 64: Wyoming Reproductive Freedom Coalition Comprehensive Talking Points Resource Guides
Key Concerns and Opposition
Targeting Wyoming’s Only Abortion Provider:
Wyoming only has one healthcare facility that provides abortions, Wellspring Health Access. HB0042 imposes unnecessary and discriminatory regulations that could force its closure, effectively eliminating abortion access statewide.
The bill’s requirement for abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 10 miles of the facility is not applied to other medical providers performing similar or more complex procedures, such as colonoscopies, cataract surgeries, or dental surgeries.
Unnecessary and Discriminatory Regulations:
Outpatient surgery centers, dermatology clinics, and urgent care facilities routinely handle emergencies through transfer protocols—a standard, effective practice in medical care. Abortion providers are unfairly singled out, exposing this bill’s intent: to restrict or eliminate access to safe, legal abortion in Wyoming.
Violation of Wyoming Values:
The bill undermines Wyoming’s deeply held values of limited government and personal freedom. Legislators claim to champion patient safety, but this bill imposes unnecessary government overreach on private healthcare facilities.
Harm to Patients and Providers:
Criminalizing healthcare providers and imposing burdensome requirements jeopardizes patient safety by reducing access to timely care.
Rural and low-income patients will bear the greatest burden, facing increased travel distances, costs, and delays in accessing essential care.
Contradiction of Medical Expertise:
Leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), oppose laws like HB0042. These laws are not based on medical evidence and create unnecessary barriers to care.
Coalition Stance
The Wyoming Reproductive Freedom Coalition strongly opposes HB0042 because it:
Discriminates against Wyoming’s only abortion provider, Wellspring Health Access.
Harms patients by reducing access to safe, legal abortion.
Hypocritically promotes government overreach in healthcare decisions while claiming to advocate for patient safety.
Call to Action
This bill is not about patient safety—it is about restricting reproductive healthcare access in Wyoming. We urge legislators to reject HB0042 and stand for policies that:
Protect patient safety without imposing unnecessary government interference.
Uphold Wyoming’s values of personal liberty and limited government.
Wyomingites deserve better from their elected officials. It’s time to sound the alarm: HB0042 abandons patient care and sacrifices personal freedoms for ideology. The Wyoming Reproductive Freedom Coalition, including Wyoming United for Freedom, Wellspring Health Access, Pro-Choice Wyoming, and Chelsea’s Fund, calls on the public to demand better for all Wyoming families.
Introduction: House Bill 64 (HB0064) imposes unnecessary and harmful regulations on individuals seeking medication abortion care. It subjects physicians and pharmacists to felony criminal penalties for any violation of its medically unnecessary requirements. The bill mandates that pregnant individuals undergo an ultrasound—likely transvaginal—at least 48 hours before accessing a medication abortion, along with additional verification and documentation mandates. HB0064 infringes on Wyomingites’ fundamental right to make their own healthcare decisions free from unwarranted government interference, disregards medical expertise, and creates unnecessary barriers to reproductive healthcare access.
Key Concerns
1. Medically Unnecessary Requirements
Ultrasound Mandate: Requiring ultrasounds prior to medication abortions serves no medical purpose. Multiple studies have proven that medication abortions are safe and effective without an ultrasound.
Burden on Providers: Providers are forced to disregard their medical judgment to comply with irrelevant documentation requirements, under threat of criminal penalties of up to five years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
Lack of Comparable Mandates: Similar requirements are not imposed on other medical procedures, highlighting the discriminatory nature of this bill.
2. Government Overreach and Coercion
No Public Health Benefit: The government is mandating a medical procedure with no medical purpose, solely to "provide the opportunity" to view an embryo.
Unfunded Mandate: This costly medical procedure is required for the government's policy goals without providing funding to cover the expense.
Interference with Medical Practice: The ultrasound mandate overrides physicians' medical judgment, forcibly interfering with and unnecessarily delaying appropriate medical care.
3. Infringement on Constitutional Rights
Violation of Personal Autonomy: HB0064 forces individuals to undergo an expensive, uncomfortable medical procedure, infringing on their fundamental right to make personal healthcare decisions free from unnecessary government interference.
Coercive Tactics: Mandating invasive transvaginal ultrasounds to compel viewing of ultrasound images and hearing fetal heartbeats—regardless of the individual's desire—is a coercive tactic undermining personal healthcare decisions.
4. Access Barriers
Increased Delays: The 48-hour waiting period exacerbates delays in accessing care, especially for individuals in rural areas who must travel long distances to the nearest providers.
Financial Strain: Transvaginal ultrasounds can cost around $300. Additional expenses for travel, time off work, and childcare disproportionately affect low-income individuals.
5. Criminalization of Healthcare Providers
Harsh Penalties: Physicians and pharmacists face felony charges, fines up to $20,000, and up to five years in prison for any compliance errors.
Provider Shortages: These punitive measures deter providers from offering reproductive healthcare services, further reducing access in an already underserved state.
6. Violation of Wyoming Values
Government Overreach: HB0064 represents excessive government intrusion into personal medical decisions, violating Wyoming’s tradition of limited government and individual freedom.
Regulatory Hypocrisy: While proponents claim to support personal liberty, this bill imposes unnecessary, ideologically driven regulations on constitutionally protected, private healthcare decisions.
7. Impact on Rural and Underserved Populations
Exacerbating Disparities: Wyoming’s rural communities already face significant barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare. HB0064's requirements worsen these disparities, leaving many without viable options.
Talking Points to Emphasize
Patient Safety and Medical Expertise:
Medical professionals, not legislators, should guide healthcare decisions.
Medication abortion has been safely used for decades without these intrusive mandates; physicians perform ultrasounds when medically indicated.
Protecting Personal Freedom:
Wyomingites value limited government and personal liberty. This bill contradicts those principles and the Wyoming Constitution by interfering in private healthcare decisions.
Discriminatory and Ideological Nature:
HB0064 singles out abortion care for excessive regulation not applied to comparable medical procedures.
The intent of this bill is to stigmatize abortion, not to improve patient safety.
Call to Action:
Urge legislators to reject HB0064 and champion policies that uphold personal freedom, respect medical expertise, and ensure access to essential healthcare.
Highlight the need for Wyoming to focus on expanding healthcare access rather than imposing unnecessary barriers rooted in ideology.
Conclusion: HB0064 is an overreaching and harmful bill that threatens reproductive healthcare access and violates fundamental freedoms. Wyoming’s legislators must reject this measure and prioritize healthcare policies that respect individual autonomy and medical integrity.