Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Proposed 'Care Act' to shield pregnancy centers draws divided testimony at committee hearing
Summary
A LSO draft to protect pregnancy centers from local regulation and civil liability prompted sharply divided public testimony on Oct. 16. Supporters said the measure would preserve conscience and free-speech protections for centers; opponents said the draft would shield unregulated providers and impede consumer protections and medical oversight.
Lawmakers heard extensive public comment Oct. 16 on a Legislative Service Office draft titled the Wyoming Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression Act (26LSO136). The draft would, as written in the LSO summary, create statutory protections preventing state or local entities from requiring pregnancy centers to provide, refer for or counsel in favor of abortion, contraception or abortion-inducing drugs; it would also provide a civil remedy for centers that claim adverse action.
What the bill would do (LSO summary)
LSO’s summary presented a multi-section draft that declares legislative findings and creates new statute language protecting pregnancy centers’ staffing, speech and service choices. The draft also includes a civil damages provision. The committee did not consider the bill for a vote on Oct. 16;…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
