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26LSO-0136
ORIGINAL House
ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0003
ENROLLED ACT NO. 22,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2026 Budget Session
AN ACT relating to public health and safety; providing legislative findings; prohibiting the state and specified governmental entities from adopting any law, rule or policy that targets pregnancy centers for oversight or regulation based on the centers' stance against abortion; providing definitions; providing penalties; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
(a)
The legislature finds that:
(i)
Pregnancy centers have a considerable and growing life
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affirming impact on the people and communities that they serve;
(ii)
Pregnancy centers serve people in Wyoming and across the United States with integrity and compassion;
(iii)
Pregnancy centers provide comprehensive care to people facing unexpected pregnancies, including resources to meet their physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs;
(iv)
Pregnancy centers offer women free, confidential and compassionate services, including pregnancy tests, peer counseling, twenty
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four (24) hour telephone hotlines, childbirth and parenting classes, referrals to community health care, adoption referrals and other support services;
(v)
Many medical pregnancy centers offer ultrasounds and other medical services;
(vi)
Pregnancy centers encourage women to make positive life choices by equipping them with complete and accurate information regarding their pregnancy options and the development of their unborn children;
(vii)
Pregnancy centers provide important support and resources for women who choose childbirth over abortion;
(viii)
Pregnancy centers have faced unprecedented attacks since the United States Supreme Court's decision in
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
, which overturned
Roe v. Wade
and the federal constitutional right to abortion;
(ix)
Since 2022, at least one
‑
third (1/3) of the states have introduced legislation seeking to undermine pregnancy centers' freedom of speech and association, or legislation to interfere with their hiring and staffing decisions, while numerous municipalities have considered similar ordinances.
Section 2
.
W.S. 35
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4
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1101 through 35
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4
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1104 are created to read:
ARTICLE 11
PREGNANCY CENTERS – PROTECTION
35
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4
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1101.
Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Wyoming Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression (CARE) Act."
35
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4
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1102.
Definitions.
(a)
As used in this act:
(i)
"Abortion" means the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug or any other substance, device or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman and for the purpose of ensuring the death of the unborn child. "Abortion" shall not include any use, prescription or means specified in this paragraph if the use, prescription or means are done with the intent to:
(A)
Save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child;
(B)
Remove a dead unborn child caused by miscarriage or stillbirth;
(C)
Remove an ectopic pregnancy; or
(D)
Perform a procedure, based on reasonable medical judgment, that is necessary to save the life of or prevent serious physical injury to the pregnant woman.
(ii)
"Abortion
‑
inducing drug" means any medicine, drug or any other substance prescribed or dispensed with the intent of terminating the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman and for the purpose of ensuring the death of an unborn child. "Abortion
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inducing drug" includes the off
‑
label use of any substance intended to induce an abortion. "Abortion
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inducing drug" does not include drugs that may be known to cause an abortion but are prescribed for other medical indications;
(iii)
"Contraception" means the use of any natural or artificial means to prevent the fertilization of a human ovum;
(iv)
"Ectopic pregnancy" means the state of carrying an unborn child outside of the uterine cavity;
(v)
"Miscarriage" or "stillbirth" means a spontaneous loss of an unborn child;
(vi)
"Pregnancy center" means a private nonprofit organization that promotes childbirth and alternatives to abortion and provides people with resources, counseling, classes, referrals and information related to pregnancy, childbearing, adoption and parenting. A medical pregnancy center may provide medical testing, counseling and pregnancy
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related care;
(vii)
"This act" means W.S. 35
‑
4
‑
1101 through 35
‑
4
‑
1104.
35
‑
4
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1103.
Interference with pregnancy centers prohibited.
(a)
The state and any of its political subdivisions, counties, cities, towns, special districts and agencies shall not, through the adoption or enactment of any law, ordinance, resolution, policy or similar measure:
(i)
Require a pregnancy center to offer or perform abortions;
(ii)
Require a pregnancy center to offer, provide or distribute abortion
‑
inducing drugs or contraception;
(iii)
Require a pregnancy center to refer any person for abortion, an abortion
‑
inducing drug or contraception;
(iv)
Require a pregnancy center to counsel in favor of abortion, abortion
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inducing drugs or contraception;
(v)
Require a pregnancy center to post any advertisement, sign, flyer or other similar material that promotes or provides any information about obtaining an abortion, abortion
‑
inducing drugs or contraception;
(vi)
Prohibit a pregnancy center from providing information, care, counseling, classes or other services related to pregnancy, childbirth or parenting because the pregnancy center does not perform, refer or counsel in favor of abortion, abortion
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inducing drugs or contraception;
(vii)
Prohibit a pregnancy center from providing prenatal and postnatal resources, including diapers, baby clothes, baby furniture, formula and similar items because the pregnancy center does not perform, refer or counsel in favor of abortion, abortion
‑
inducing drugs or contraception;
(viii)
Prohibit a medical pregnancy center from providing medical testing, counseling and care related to pregnancy or childbirth because the pregnancy center does not perform, refer or counsel in favor of abortion, abortion
‑
inducing drugs or contraception;
(ix)
Prohibit a medical pregnancy center from counseling a woman on any pregnancy
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related care or treatment, including care or treatment that may reverse the effects of abortion
‑
inducing drugs;
(x)
Interfere with the pregnancy center's staffing or hiring decisions by requiring the center to interview, hire or continue to employ any person who does not affirm the center's mission statement or agree to comply with the center's pro
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life ethic and operating procedure.
35
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4
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1104.
Legal remedies.
(a)
A pregnancy center or any person aggrieved by a violation of this act may commence a civil action for injunctive, equitable or declaratory relief permitted by law. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit any other remedies that may be available under any other federal, state or municipal law.
Section 3
.
This act is effective July 1, 2026
.
(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk
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