2012 Wyoming Amendment A

Referendum in an American state January 2026 January 2026 181984 54405 250701 Wyoming The adoption of this amendment will provide that the right to make health care decisions is reserved to the citizens of the state of Wyoming. It permits any person to pay and any health care provider to receive direct payment for services. The amendment permits the legislature to place reasonable and necessary restrictions on health care consistent with the purposes of the Wyoming Constitution and provides that this state shall act to preserve these rights from undue governmental infringement. November 6, 2012 File:2012_Wyoming_Amendment_A_results_map_by_county.svg Yes #28497C 80%–90% #47729E 70%–80% #7D9CBB 60%–70% Constitutional Amendment A is an amendment of the Wyoming Constitution enacted in 2012 to enshrine the right of individuals to make their own health care decisions. The amendment was passed principally in opposition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Background The amendment was primarily sponsored by Wyoming State Senator Leslie Nutting (7th district)2012-10-30 Wyoming Voters Face 3 Amendments Next Week https://k2radio.com/wyoming-voters-face-3-amendments-next-week/ 2024-11-22 K2 Radio en intended to prohibit people from being compelled to participate in the ACA.Carter Chelsea J. Brennan Allison 2012-11-01 Maryland, Maine, Washington approve same-sex marriage; 2 states legalize pot https://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/01/politics/ballot-initiatives/index.html 2024-11-22 CNN en Opponents of the amendment said that the amendment would disallow healthcare access to many Wyoming residents,Pollreisz Anthony 2012-10-31 Three Proposed Constitutional Amendments on the November Ballot https://k2radio.com/three-proposed-constitutional-amendments-on-the-november-ballot/ 2024-11-22 K2 Radio en and that the amendment would have unintended consequences. Provisions The amendment created a new Section 38 within Article 1 of the Wyoming constitution entitled "Right of health care access".Constantino Annika Kim 2023-03-24 Wyoming abortion ban blocked due to Obamacare-era amendment https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/24/wyoming-abortion-ban-blocked-due-to-obamacare-era-amendment.html 2024-11-22 CNBC en Amongst other things, the amendment created the following line within the Wyoming Constitution: Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions. Wyoming Constitution Excerpt of Article 1, Section 38 Results The following table details the results by county:Statewide Constitutional Amendments Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 6, 2012 https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2012/Results/General/2012_Statewide_Constitutional_Amendments.pdf 6 January 2026 Wyoming Secretary of State CountyYesNo#%#%Albany9,98464.25%5,55635.75%Big Horn4,24483.33%84916.67%Campbell14,28785.40%2,44314.60%Carbon5,02281.26%1,15818.74%Converse5,09283.43%1,01116.57%Crook2,95485.03%52014.97%Fremont11,86974.47%4,06825.53%Goshen4,20976.24%1,31223.76%Hot Springs1,91979.99%48020.01%Johnson3,38182.54%71517.46%Laramie27,96273.74%9,95826.26%Lincoln7,15087.25%1,04512.75%Natrona22,69174.81%7,63925.19%Niobrara96280.10%23919.90%Park11,06479.55%2,84520.45%Platte3,43279.61%87920.39%Sheridan11,03080.43%2,68419.57%Sublette3,46383.45%68716.55%Sweetwater12,67779.43%3,28320.57%Teton6,31160.91%4,05039.09%Uinta6,56779.61%1,68220.39%Washakie2,98078.32%82521.68%Weston2,73485.14%47714.86%Total181,98476.98%54,40523.02% Impact on abortion Abortion in Wyoming Following the US Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, state legislatures were allowed to regulate any aspect of abortion. The Wyoming State Legislature passed HB92, a trigger law that would ban abortion beginning five days after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.March 15, 2022 HB0092 - Abortion prohibition-supreme court decision. https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2022/HB0092 2023-05-20 www.wyoleg.gov The amendment had the unintended impact of allowing a lawsuit against HB92 that alleged that HB92 violated the state constitution by denying competent individuals the right to make their own health care decisions.Gruver Mead 2024-11-19 Judge strikes down Wyoming abortion laws, including an explicit ban on pills to end pregnancy https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-abortion-ban-judge-ruling-a8e79c0879a22dab036b06a6f4304895 2024-11-22 AP News enFoster Robin 19 November 2024 Judge Declares Wyoming's Abortion Bans Unconstitutional https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-11-19/judge-declares-wyomings-abortion-bans-unconstitutional 22 November 2024 U.S. News2024-11-19 Judge strikes down Wyoming’s anti-abortion laws in victory for rights advocates https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/19/wyoming-anti-abortion-laws-struck-down-pills 2024-11-22 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 On January 6, 2026, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled abortion restrictions unconstitutional under said amendment, stating that "whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy is a woman’s own health care decision protected by Article 1, Section 38."Merzbach Hanna January 6, 2026 Wyoming Supreme Court protects abortion access https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/politics-government/2026-01-06/wyoming-supreme-court-protects-abortion-access January 6, 2026 Wyoming Public Radio Wyoming Public MediaGruver Mead January 6, 2026 Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as its top court strikes down laws, including first US pill ban https://apnews.com/article/abortion-wyoming-ruling-legal-a8396f0ed4a3229eed5e9fea575be63e January 6, 2026 The Associated Press References Wyoming Category:2012 Wyoming elections Category:Healthcare ballot measures in the United States Category:Wyoming law Category:Health law Category:Privacy law Category:Abortion law