CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A state judge on Monday struck down Wyoming’s overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy in line with voters in yet more states voicing support for abortion rights.

Since 2022, Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens has ruled consistently three times to block the laws while they were disputed in court. The decision marks another victory for abortion rights advocates after voters in seven states passed measures in support of access.

The laws were challenged by four women and two nonprofit organizations. One of the groups, Wellspring Health Access, opened as the state’s first full-service abortion clinic in years in April 2023 following an arson attack in 2022.

The recent elections saw voters in Missouri clear the way to undo one of the nation’s most restrictive bans in a series of victories for abortion rights advocates. Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota defeated similar constitutional amendments, leaving bans in place.

– The Associated Press