Governor Gordon,
I am writing to you as a Wyoming-raised and WWAMI-trained OB/GYN physician to express my strong and earnest opposition to your decision to appeal the recent ruling by Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens, which struck down the state’s abortion ban and medication abortion prohibition.
I urge you to reconsider your decision to appeal this ruling.
Upholding the court’s decision aligns with Wyoming’s constitutional commitment to healthcare autonomy and reinforces the principles of evidence-based medicine. Furthermore, it demonstrates a commitment to addressing the pressing healthcare access issues in our state. This appeal not only threatens the autonomy of healthcare providers like myself but also jeopardizes the fundamental rights of Wyoming residents to make private and deeply personal healthcare decisions.
The people of Wyoming deeply value the rights to make decisions that govern the lives they choose, values reflected in the state constitution. It is nothing short of hypocritical for the state of Wyoming to champion the principles of decision-making autonomy while refusing to apply them to healthcare and undermining the very rights meant to empower individuals.
According to the summary judgment order in Johnson et al v The State of Wyoming, Wyoming’s Constitution explicitly guarantees the right to make one’s own healthcare decisions. This foundational right is essential for ensuring that medical care is guided by science, compassion, and individual needs—not political interference. The laws you seek to reinstate disregard this constitutional protection and create an untenable situation for both patients and providers.
As you well know Governor Gordon, Wyoming already faces significant challenges in providing adequate maternity care. My heart ached reading recent headlines regarding the closure of yet another obstetrical care unit in Evanston as of this December. Regions with maternity deserts lack access to obstetric services, forcing expectant mothers to travel long distances for care and increasing risks to maternal and infant health.
Wyoming also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of 10 in the US considered to be a “triple desert” with numerous maternity care deserts, lack of Medicare Medicaid expansion, and –prior to this ruling– the potential of lack of abortion care. It is imperative to understand that efforts to restrict reproductive healthcare further will only exacerbate this crisis.
Restrictive abortion laws have a ripple effect on the broader healthcare system. Hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas, may face additional financial and staffing pressures as they struggle to comply with legal mandates. Physicians and other medical professionals, wary of legal risks, may be deterred from practicing in Wyoming altogether, further shrinking the pool of qualified providers. This compounds the challenges in maintaining labor and delivery services, leaving vulnerable communities with even fewer options for care. I speak of this from a place of not only statistics but experience, as it was the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the threat of trigger laws and further restrictive legislation that deterred me from returning to Wyoming to serve the people of my home state after completing my training.
Effective medical care relies on the trust between patient and physician. Your appeal, if successful, would erode this trust by forcing physicians to navigate legal risks instead of focusing solely on their patients’ health. To ask healthcare providers to practice medicine in an environment where they must first weigh vague provisions of a statute containing significant legal and criminal penalties against a patient's best interests is a betrayal of the oath healthcare providers swear to uphold, do no harm.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further and share insights from my experiences as a physician. Wyoming’s future depends on policies that respect personal freedoms, support healthcare professionals, and prioritize the well-being of all residents.
Respectfully,
Dr. Natalie Meadows Eggleston, M.D
