Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.
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Wyoming judge blocks state pro-life laws
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court after a county judge blocked two pro-life laws in Wyoming. The judge blocked the Life Is a Human Right Act, which protected unborn children except in cases when the mother’s life was at risk or in cases of rape or incest, as well as a law prohibiting chemical abortions via abortion pills, a law signed by Gordon in March 2023.
Gordon said on Tuesday that the ruling was “frustrating” and that he instructed his attorney general to prepare to appeal the decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens ruled on Monday that the two laws violated the state constitution by restricting medical decisions. Owen has blocked Wyoming abortion laws three times since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now that the ruling has been struck down, abortion is legal up until fetal viability in Wyoming.
The plaintiffs included Wyoming abortion clinic Wellspring Health Access, two obstetricians, two other women, and the Wyoming abortion advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund. Following the ruling, Chelsea’s Fund stated on Tuesday that it “will do everything in our power to uphold this ruling in the Wyoming Supreme Court.”
Montana judge blocks licensing law for abortion clinic
A Montana District Court temporarily paused the state’s recent health department licensing regulations for abortion clinics amid pending litigation. House Bill 937 required licensure and regulation of abortion clinics and included rules for sanitation standards, emergency equipment, and hotlines for women who are coerced into an abortion or are victims of sex trafficking.
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Two abortion providers, All Families Healthcare in Kalispell and Blue Mountain Clinic in Missoula, and an abortionist sued over the regulations, saying they would have to close if they were implemented. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Chris Abbot ruled in their favor, saying that H.B. 937 was a shift in “the status quo” that abortion providers “are not generally considered health care facilities subject to a licensure requirement.” Montana voters approved Initiative 128 on Election Day, enshrining a right to abortion in the constitution and allowing abortion after fetal viability.
Virginia bishops condemn fast-tracked right to abortion proposal
Two Virginia bishops recently opposed a proposed amendment granting a right to abortion, which was fast-tracked by the state House Privileges and Elections Committee. Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond in a Nov. 13 statement called the proposed right to abortion “a fundamental tragedy.” Virginia law currently allows abortion up to 26 weeks and six days and allows abortion after that in certain cases. Burbidge and Knestout encouraged Virginia to “work instead for policies that affirm the life and dignity of every mother and every child.”
The bishops also opposed a fast-tracked proposal to remove the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman from the state constitution. The bishops noted that they “affirm the dignity of every person” and “affirm too that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.” Following the election, the bishops encouraged “deep engagement in decisions” that are at “the heart of who we are.”
Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
CASPER, Wyo. — Here is a list of those who filed for a divorce from Dec. 22 through Dec. 29. All filings are reported to Oil City News by the Natrona County District Court.
The log is not a comprehensive document and may not represent all of the divorces in Natrona County. The report excludes sealed cases and confidential parties.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently announced its plan to move forward in 2026 with developing Feedground Management Action Plans, a key component of the broader Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan.
A release from the Game and Fish Department states that as part of the department’s statewide Chronic Management Plan, the Wyoming Elk Feedgrounds Plan was established to guide the department’s overall and long-term approach to elk management for the 21 feedgrounds across Wyoming. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the final draft of the strategy in March 2024, following close to four years of collaborative planning with more than 60 volunteer stakeholders.
The release notes that the development of the individual FMAPs is the next step in the process. The department will be working closely with stakeholders, as well as the public, to address key concerns and priorities.
“Game and Fish remains committed to the management of our state’s feedgrounds in an adaptable manner that utilizes the best science available,” said Game and Fish director Angi Bruce. “Supplemental winter feeding of elk has continued to grow in complexity. These plans will allow us to adjust to current and future conditions in feedground management.”
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Specific FMAPs will be developed for each of the six elk herds, as well as their corresponding feedgrounds in the Jackson and Pinedale regions. They’re intended to be a playbook of strategies guiding feedground management through biological, social, and economic factors. FMAPs are designed to be adaptable as on-the-ground-conditions change and science emerges.
In early 2026, draft FMAP documents will be shared during a series of public meetings. They will be presented to the Game and Fish Commission later in the year.
“The goal of the FMAP process is to ensure our strategies are not only sustainable for our agency, but supported and beneficial to the public,” Bruce said. “This is an important issue that has an impact on our state’s wildlife, business owners and residents in our state. Their buy-in and feedback will be essential to a successful long-term plan for feedground management.”
Times and locations for the public meetings will be announced in January on the Game and Fish website. More information on elk feedgrounds, as well as the Feedground Management Plan, can be found on the Elk Feedgrounds page at the Game and Fish Department’s website.
The biggest wind gust in Colorado history blew through Monarch Pass on Feb. 16, 2018, at 148 mph. Not long after that, I moved here, in part to avoid the hurricanes that were pummeling me back East. Now I experience Hurricane Sandy-adjacent conditions while taking mail from my mailbox on random Tuesdays in Fort Collins.
I liked to think that our National Weather Service would at least give me fair warning for wind events. But now the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder is being dismantled for parts.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
That very building got smacked with a 113-mph gust on Dec. 19, two days after Peak 6 at Brekenfridge was hit with a Polar Express clocked at 124 mph. If there had been any snow, I might have been skiing there, caught air off a mogul and landed at Arapahoe Basin.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Little known fact: Colorado’s breezes are actually under the control of the four Greek gods of wind, plus their local representatives. No wonder it’s so breezy here!
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Fortunately, electric company officials employ a four-part strategy when dangerous winds threaten.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Style-conscious Coloradans are learning to cope. (Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
No one is beyond the reach of wind. Especially not Denver Broncos field-goal kicker Wil Lutz.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
As concerning as our wind situation is, there is one consolation.
(Peter Moore, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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Peter Moore is an editor, writer, illustrator, ghostwriter, co-author, radio host, TV guest, speaker, editorial consultant, and journalism lecturer.
In his most recent gig he was interim editor-in-chief of BACKPACKER magazine. Peter…
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