HB140 (48-hour waiting period for abortion) is an unnecessary, discriminatory bill, and an example of government overreach.
This bill requires that a woman wait at least 48 hours after receiving information about ultrasound before she is allowed to have an abortion, except when necessary to preserve the woman from an imminent peril that substantially endangers her life or health, according to appropriate medical judgment.
HB140 is unnecessary. By the time a woman finds out she is pregnant; evaluates her options; talks to her doctor, family, friends and/or clergy; makes an appointment for the procedure; and finds a way to finance it, she has already had plenty of time process what she wants to do. Women are smart. They know their bodies. They hardly view surgery like something as simple as deciding what to eat for lunch.
HB140 is discriminatory. This is the only GOVERNMENT LEGISLATED waiting period for a medical procedure in Wyoming, and it ONLY APPLIES TO WOMEN. And the only exception is if somebody else tells a woman that the procedure is needed to keep her life and health from being endangered. Women don’t need to be victims, or in peril, to know what is right for their bodies.
Finally, this is clearly government overreach. This is the government telling women that they don’t know how to make decisions in a thoughtful manner. Women are expected to be able to be intelligent enough to carry, give birth to, and raise children; hold down a job; manage a family; and perform the numerous other duties to be a successful member of society. But when it comes to knowing what they want and need for their own lives, this bill implies that they are clueless and need the government to save them from themselves.
This bill is just another thinly veiled way to move the goalpost toward outlawing a woman’s right to choose what is best for her reproductive freedom and health.
Trust women. Tell your legislators to vote against HB140.
Phil Armstrong
Cheyenne
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