Legislature focuses on women and children on Tuesday

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - On Tuesday legislators focused on women and children.

In the House chambers, lawmakers discussed the Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage and Life is a human right act, bills.

The postpartum bill would extend continuous care for Medicaid-eligible mothers and infants with mental health and medical resources post-birth.

This “would be” program bill got a practice run during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This unintended extension allowed the Department of Health officials and other states to study the effects of long-term postpartum care realizing it provided better outcomes in preventative medicine at only a slightly higher cost.

The bill passed the second reading in the house.

” The most important thing is that we want to take care of moms in Wyoming to make sure that they can raise healthy families and healthy babies,” said Rep. Mike Yin, House Minority Floor Lead, H.D. 16.

Next, the Life is a Human Right Act was debated in its second reading on the house floor.

”Essentially this bill really really does strengthens the laws. I think we have a pro-life majority in the house of representatives..Looking forward to it passing third reading an d passing over to the senate,” said Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, H.D. 50.

Three amendments to the bill included the ability to stop legislators from intervening in litigation, the re-definition of abortion health care and when life begins and trying to broaden the scope of the bill.

“From every side of this state and in the middle that are very supportive of this legislation and are excited about the potential to protect life in Wyoming. They are thankful they have a legislator that’s actively pursuing this and fighting as hard as they possibly can to protect life,” said Rep. Chip Neiman, H.D. 1.

All three amendments were defeated.

While litigation places a pause on Wyoming’s abortion trigger bill, which was moved to Dec. 2nd, abortion remains legal in the state.

This new bill would supersede the Trigger Bill eliminating the exceptions for rape or incest, and if passed, would go into effect in July.

According to lawmakers if the new bill goes into effect, backlash litigation would likely follow, placing the litigation pause into effect again, keeping abortion legal in the state.

”I struggled with whether I should vote for this bill or not because I believe it to be so unconstitutional, that its a trojan horse for getting access to legal and safe abortions,” said Rep. Karlee Provenza, H.D. 45.

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