Abortion is now illegal in Wyoming. It is also illegal to "prescribe, sell, distribute or use" the abortion pill – the most widely used method in the United States.

The governor of the state, Mark Gordon, has in fact signed the law approved days ago by the state legislature, dominated by Republicans. Violation of the ban is expected as a crime, punishable by 6 months in prison and a fine of up to $9,<>.

The measure does not cover the so-called "morning after pill" or other contraceptive methods and provides an exception for cases of "imminent danger to the life and health of the woman". Conventional procedures for abortion are also permitted in cases of rape, incest and "lethal abnormalities" of the fetus.

Legal battles over women's right to reproductive freedom have inflamed the United States since the day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, which provided federal legal cover for women's free determination. From that moment, the choice is entrusted to the individual states: many of which, with a Republican majority, have approved very strict measures to limit the use of abortion.

In Texas, however, a judge could order a ban on the use of mifepristone, the main chemical component of the abortion pill. In that case, the ban would have national value and would make it difficult to use the drug even in states where abortion is legal. Texas could soon pass a law that not only bans the use and distribution of the abortion pill but even the websites where it is discussed.