Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
A woman has a fundamental right to make her own health care decisions, including the decision to have an abortion. The state did not meet its burden of demonstrating the abortion laws further the compelling interest of protecting unborn life without unduly infringing upon the woman’s fundamental right to make her own health care decisions.
— Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden of the Wyoming Supreme Court, writing for the majority in State of Wyoming v. Johnson, where the court struck down the state’s abortion pill ban as unconstitutional. The court also held Wyoming’s near-total abortion ban to be invalid. In comments noted by Courthouse News Service, Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access, called the ruling “a victory for the fundamental right of people across Wyoming to make decisions about their own lives and health.” Wellspring is the state’s only abortion provider.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.