Wyoming outlaws abortion pills, becoming first state to enact ban

Wyoming Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill Friday outlawing the use or prescription of abortion pills, making it the first state to prohibit the drugs.

The legislation was passed by the state's GOP-controlled legislature earlier this month.

Included in the bill is a provision making it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion."

Morning-after pills, a contraceptive medication used shortly after sex but before a woman can confirm her pregnancy, will be exempt from the ban.

VERMONT SENATE PASSES BILL PROTECTING PROVIDERS ABORTIONS, TRANS PROCEDURES FROM LEGAL ACTION

There are also exemptions when treatment is necessary to protect a woman "from an imminent peril that substantially endangers her life or health" or for a "natural miscarriage according to currently accepted medical guidelines."

People who violate the new law will be subject to a criminal misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $9,000.

A woman "upon whom a chemical abortion is performed or attempted shall not be criminally prosecuted," the measure notes.

CALIFORNIA BILL PROTECTS DOCTORS WHO MAIL ABORTION PILLS TO OUT-OF-STATE PATIENTS

Gordon said he was also allowing a separate bill banning abortion procedures to be enacted without his signature. The measure, passed by state lawmakers, bans the procedure except when necessary to protect the health and life of the mother, in cases of rape or incest or to end a pregnancy in which doctors determine there to be a lethal abnormality of the fetus.

There have been a number of legal challenges across the U.S. regarding abortion laws since the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June. The High Court's decision allowed states to make their own laws on abortion access.

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Gordon acknowledged that supporters of abortion access who challenged Wyoming's "trigger" abortion ban after it went into effect following the reversal of Roe v. Wade have filed a lawsuit to preemptively block the new law on abortion pills.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Kansas State holds off Montana State to move on in NCAA tournament

Markquis Nowell had 17 points and 14 assists, and No. 3 seed Kansas State held off 14th-seeded Montana State 77-65 Friday night for its first NCAA Tournament win since knocking off Kentucky in 2018 to reach the Elite Eight.

The two Wildcat programs will meet again in a rematch on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. Kentucky, the sixth seed, defeated No. 11 Providence 61-53 in the earlier game.

Nowell and fellow third-team Associated Press All-American Keyontae Johnson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, proved too much for the Bobcats to handle.

RaeQuan Battle had 26 points on 9 of 17 shooting for Montana State (25-10), which had its eight-game win streak snapped.

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Kansas State (24-9) led Montana State 34-28 at the break. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 13 with 11 minutes remaining when Desi Sills scored on a layup off an inbounds pass under his own basket after a botched defensive assignment.

Montana State went to a 1-3-1 defense, which disrupted the Wildcats for a short time, and helped cut the lead to eight before Nowell buried a deep 3-pointer from the left wing and Nae'Qwan Tomlin scored off a lob to push the lead back to 13.

Montana State wouldn't quit, though, with Darius Brown knocking down a 3 with 2:44 left.

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But Tomlin, who finished with 13 points, answered with another dunk off after Nowell threaded the needle with his 14th assist, the most ever by a Kansas State player in an NCAA Tournament game.

David N'Guessan added two technical foul free throws and then scored on an inside layup. Sills punctuated the win with a breakaway left-handed dunk giving the Wildcats a 16-point lead.

BIG PICTURE

Montana State: The Bobcats were looking for a better showing after losing by 35 points in the opening round of last year's tournament to Texas Tech, and they got it. The Big Sky champions showed they could compete on the NCAA Tournament stage but, in the end, didn't have the size to compete with the Wildcats. Montana State was outscored 48-30 in the paint.

Kansas State: The Wildcats had some concerns coming into the tournament after back-to-back losses to West Virginia and TCU. It was a struggle at times, but the Wildcats finished with a flurry to seal the win.

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Kansas State beat Kentucky 61-58 on March 22, 2018, for its first win over the Wildcats in 10 tries.