Wyoming

Last clinic providing abortions in Wyoming faces uncertainty as Gov. Gordon ponders new restrictions

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

Last clinic providing abortions in Wyoming faces uncertainty as Gov. Gordon ponders new restrictions

Around two weeks ago, the clinic administrator at Wellspring Health Access, Brittany Brown, got a text message from a number she didn’t recognize.

She was in bed, at home.

“This one gentleman chose to text me and let me know that if he were to ever catch any of our doctors, he would physically assault them,” said Brown.

For Brown and the rest of the staff, the threat was another in a long list of threats and setbacks Wellspring has experienced since it opened.

Wellspring Health Access in Casper has faced arson, a local backlash and near-constant protests.

“When I got hired here, I knew,” Brown said. “I know violence is a possibility, I know legally shutting us down is a possibility. I know that there’s a good chance that I may not have this job (much longer).”

That uncertainty continues with the passage of House Bill 148, which made it through the Wyoming Legislature this month. It would require the clinic to become a licensed ambulatory surgical center.

Supporters of the bill have said it’s meant to keep women safe when receiving procedural abortions in the state.

Critics believe it’s an attempt to keep abortion inaccessible in Wyoming if a pending legal challenge to a near-total abortion ban ends up succeeding.

They’ve said the bill is intended to force the closure of just one business: Wellspring.

That business looks like any other health clinic.

“This is (the) lobby, obviously, where patients and their support people wait and hang out for us, (we) try to make it as comfortable and cozy as possible,” Brown said, walking through the clinic.

Chris Clements

Wyoming Public Media

Brittany Brown and Leslie Kee are two Wellspring employees. Brown is the clinic administrator, and Kee works at the front desk in the clinic lobby.

Outside, great gray storm clouds rippled across the horizon. A gang of wild turkeys ambled down the sidewalk.

“We want people to kind of just relax a little bit once they get here because, of course, getting here can be quite the ordeal,” Brown said.

Next, Brown walked down a hallway leading to the exam rooms. Paintings of flowers hung on many of the walls. A framed sign reads, “Keep your laws off my body.”

“This is our recovery room,” Brown said. “After procedures, our patients come in here. The chairs recline, we give them a cozy blanket, a heating pad, snacks and drinks.”

Wellspring provides a range of women’s health services, including pelvic exams, cancer screenings and procedural abortions for patients in Wyoming and in states nearby that have passed abortion bans, like South Dakota, North Dakota and Idaho.

Brown said roughly half the patients the clinic sees are traveling from across the state and the country.

“Anybody who’s familiar with Wyoming knows that for a lot of specialty care, you better be planning on getting in a car and driving for several hours,” she said.

The farthest distance a patient has traveled to receive care at Wellspring? Louisiana.

Once they show up at the clinic, protestors from crisis pregnancy centers in the area are often already waiting for patients at the edge of the property.

Debra Cheatham is a volunteer at Wellspring and a Casper resident.

Every week, she and other volunteers escort patients from their cars to the door, often as protestors are loudly praying, or shouting things like: “‘You don’t have to do this, your mother didn’t choose this. Shame on you for doing this.’”

A small billboard on the side of a highway reads "God doesn't make mistakes. Choose life." and shows a sleeping baby. — A sign next to the road outside of Casper.

Holly Thompson is another volunteer.

“They will shout out, ‘Well, don’t do that, don’t go in there, because you’re going to commit suicide later in life,’” said Thompson.

It’s personal for Thompson. She had an abortion when she was 21, years before Roe v. Wade went into effect and became the law of the land.

“The reason I had it was because I was a first-year teacher, a brand new teacher in Rock Springs, Wyoming,” Thompson said. “And women could be fired for being pregnant and not married before Roe v. Wade. And so that’s why I had, when I promised myself back then that if there’s anything I could do to help women in the future, I would do that.”

The other volunteer, Debra Cheatham, said her father practiced as an OB-GYN in Casper for years, and that his conviction about women’s health inspired her to volunteer.

Cheatham said he went down that path after a woman who was sick with sepsis sought help from him.

After she died, Cheatham’s father asked her husband – now a widower – how she got sick.

“And he said, ‘Well, she went to Mexico for an abortion,’” she said. “And my dad asked him, ‘Why?’ And the guy broke into tears and said, ‘We already have six kids. We couldn’t afford another one.’”

Most abortions performed at clinics like Wellspring aren’t generally considered complex enough to be surgeries.

But House Bill 148 requires clinics that provide procedural abortions in Wyoming to be licensed and equipped to do surgeries anyway.

Rep. Martha Lawley (R-Worland) is the sponsor of HB 148.

“We have a duty to regulate abortion for the health and safety of women in Wyoming who would choose an abortion,” she said.

Lawley’s view is that as long as procedural abortions remain legal in Wyoming, bills like hers are necessary to ensure patient safety.

“In the event of a botched abortion, it’s important that there be a kind of continuity of care between the doctor who performed that abortion and the facility where that woman would be taken to for further care,” she said.

But Wellspring’s founder, Julie Burkhart, said abortion is one of the safest medical procedures with a complication rate of less than 2 percent. She disagrees with the notion that women need the new regulation.

“For Wellspring, we just did our statistics for 2023. And we are right there, right on target,” said Burkhart.

If HB 148 were to pass into law, Burkhart said she’s concerned Wellspring might need to shut down some or all of its services, at least temporarily.

During that time, the clinic could make physical renovations to hallways and doors, and likely install a new H-VAC system to bring it up to code.

If Wellspring doesn’t meet the requirements, it could be fined as much as $1,000 for each violation as part of a misdemeanor offense.

Gov. Mark Gordon has until March 23 to veto HB 148, sign it, or let it become law without his signature.

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Wyoming

NWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming

Published

9 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

NWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming

The National Weather Service in Riverton has issued a Flood Watch advisory for portions of central and northwest Wyoming, including Owl Creek, the Bridger Mountains, the Southwest Bighorn Basin, the Absaroka Mountains, and the Cody Foothills. This includes the cities of Cody, Thermopolis, Meeteetse, and Clark, and many areas near or partially in Fremont County. […]

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Wyoming

Wyoming Rodeo Stars Set for National High School Finals

Published

21 hours ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Rodeo Stars Set for National High School Finals

The 78th National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) starts on Sunday, July 19, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and goes through Saturday, July 25, 2026. There are 12 rodeo performances across the seven days, with six in the first round and six in the second round. The top 20 cowboys and cowgirls return to the championship short round at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. Wyoming has 51 contestants competing across the 13 rodeo events, plus light rifle and trap shooting.

WYOMING RODEO ATHLETES OPEN COMPETITION AT NHSFR

Yoder’s Hadley Thompson was the All-Around Cowgirl at the 2025 NHSFR. She won national titles in the breakaway roping and goat last year in Rock Springs. Wyoming finished 11th in the team standings last year with 3,750.00 team points. The Cowboy State’s girls placed sixth, and the boys were 25th. Thompson also had the AQHA Horse of the Year for Cowgirls in CD Smokin Miss Kitty. Emeree Tavegie was sixth in pole bending.

The daily rodeo performances are at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The first go ends after Wednesday morning’s performance, while the second go ends after Saturday morning’s performance.

Wyoming State High School Finals Rodeo Results & NHSFR Qualifiers 2026

Wyoming’s contestants and events with their draw

Ryley Alameda – Reined Cow Horse (Mon AM, Thurs PM)

Wade Asay – Reined Cow Horse (Tues PM, Wed AM)

Claire Bilek – Girls Cutting (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Kolton Bonenberger – Bull Riding (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Jace Bowles – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Cooper Brownlee – Shooting Rifle and Shooting Trap

Blue Butler – Breakaway Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM); Goat Tying (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Kolbe Chant – Tie-Down Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Heston Crozier – Shooting Trap

Blake Cushman – Pole Bending (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Karly Davis – Barrel Racing (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Teague Duncan – Saddle Bronc (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Memphis Erdman – Shooting Rifle

Hays Espenscheid – Team Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Kendrie Ewing – Barrel Racing (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Ellie Feathers – Shooting Rifle

Kashley Fornstrom – Barrel Racing (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Kade Fraley – Saddle Bronc (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Landon Gold – Team Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM); Steer Wrestling (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Teague Goodman – Steer Wrestling (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Tanner Griemsman – Team Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Cody Hayden – Boys Cutting (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Rhame Hicks – Goat Tying (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Stone Hooten – Shooting Trap

Coe Hornbuckle – Barrel Racing (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Carter Hutchison – Steer Wrestling (Tues PM, Thurs AM); Tie-Down Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM); Reined Cow Horse (Mon AM, Thurs AM)

Kress Johnson – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Taylor Kimzey – Shooting Rifle

Emma Martin – Pole Bending (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Bella Martinson – Breakaway Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Anna McQueeney – Girls Cutting (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Raden Miller – Steer Wrestling (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Taten Mills – Team Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Owen Monfeldt – Bull Riding (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Ashtyn Noland – Reined Cow Horse (Mon PM, Thurs AM)

Keon Norris – Bareback Riding (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Riggin Pearce – Bull Riding (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Bridger Peil – Tie-Down Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Karly Peterson – Girls Cutting (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Nathan Peterson – Boys Cutting (Tues PM, Thurs AM)

Trenton Rogers – Bareback Riding (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Rickie Jo Rourke – Goat Tying (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Tuf Scarborough – Saddle Bronc (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Ty Scarborough – Saddle Bronc (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Stetson St. Clair – Bull Riding (Wed AM, Wed PM); Team Roping (Sun PM, Sat AM)

Whitney Tarver – Team Roping (Mon PM, Fri AM)

Emeree Tavegie – Pole Bending (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Dylan Thar – Breakaway Roping (Tues AM, Thurs PM)

Hadley Thompson – Breakaway Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM); Pole Bending (Tues PM, Thurs AM); Goat Tying (Wed AM, Wed PM)

Cruz Viles – Team Roping (Mon AM, Fri PM)

Tuf Weber – Shooting Trap

The Light Rifle competition is on Tuesday, July 21, and the Short Go is on Wednesday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m. The Trap Shooting competition is on Thursday, July 23, and the Short Go is on Friday, July 24 at 8 a.m. The Reined Cow Horse event will start on Monday, July 20, and go through Thursday, July 23, each day at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Reined Cow Horse Championship Short Go is on Friday at 4 p.m. The Cutting Events start on Sunday at 7 p.m., then will run at 9 a.m. from Monday through Friday. The 12th Cutting performance is Saturday, July 25 at 8 a.m. The Cutting Championship Short Go is on Saturday at 2 p.m.