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The future of procedural abortion in Wyoming is in doubt after Gordon signs bill

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The future of procedural abortion in Wyoming is in doubt after Gordon signs bill


This is a breaking new story and may be updated.

Updated 2/27/25 at 8:39 p.m. with information regarding Wellspring’s lawsuit.

A bill requiring clinics providing procedural abortions to be licensed as ambulatory surgical centers was signed by Gov. Mark Gordon on Feb. 27. It goes into effect immediately.

HB 42 will likely cause the closure of the only such clinic in the state, Wellspring Health Access in Casper.

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It mandates the clinic’s physicians to get admitting privileges for their patients at a hospital no more than 10 miles away from Wellspring.

“I am frankly shocked and incredibly disappointed,” Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s founder and president, told Wyoming Public Radio in an interview after the bill was signed. “This is a bill that the governor vetoed last year in March of 2024, and we have virtually the same bill in front of him. Also we have an ongoing court case.”

That court case concerns a ban on abortion that’s due to go before the state Supreme Court for oral arguments in the spring.

Burkhart said Wellspring will be filing a lawsuit to stop the law. In a press release, she wrote that “We will be filing a lawsuit seeking a restraining order to stop this unjust law from being enacted. And know this: We are here, and we are not backing down.”

She said patients who are scheduled to have procedural abortions in the coming days will have their appointments disrupted, including those from out of state.

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At a recent press conference, Burkhart said that the number of patients visiting Wellspring went up by 214% from 2023 to 2024, in part due to patients from other states.

“This has great immediate impact on our patients,” Burkhart said.

Those patients include people who are seeking reproductive healthcare, not necessarily just those who are looking for procedural or medication abortions.

“I need to consult with our team and decide exactly how we’re going to take next steps, but I can say that it is our intention to continue to provide services in the state of Wyoming,” Burkhart said. “So we will be looking at our options that will allow us to do that.”

She added that staff at Wellspring remain committed to their jobs.

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“We are a tenacious bunch,” Burkhart said. “We’ve talked about this, and we’ve prepared for this. People are going to be in this for the long haul as well.”

The clinic was set on fire in 2022 and protested by anti-abortion activists on a weekly basis since it reopened in 2023.

This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.





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Wyoming

Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning

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Casper approves Wyoming Boulevard property rezoning


CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.

The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.

While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.

According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.

Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.

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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.

The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel

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Two men detained in Wyoming in connection with deadly shooting at downtown Salt Lake hotel


Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.

Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.

According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.

MORE | Shootings

Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.

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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.

Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.

The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming

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Man shot, critically injured by deputy during ‘disturbance’ in Rock Springs, Wyoming


A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.

Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.

Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.

MORE | Officer-Involved Shooting

During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.

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Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.

The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.

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