Night Owl News Archives - 12/05/2025

"Wy granite act" is most commonly shorthand for the Wyoming Granite Act, a proposed or discussed piece of legislation (as of 2025) in Wyoming that aims to significantly restrict or effectively ban most forms of abortion in the state by classifying abortion as a form of homicide in certain cases and removing existing legal protections for abortion providers and patients.Key points of the Wyoming Granite Act (as introduced or circulated in 2024–2025):Declares that a fetus at any stage of development is a “person” under Wyoming’s homicide laws. Would repeal or override the few remaining exceptions allowed after Wyoming’s near-total abortion ban (HB 92) was blocked by courts in 2023–2025. Explicitly states that performing or obtaining an abortion could be prosecuted as manslaughter or murder (hence the nickname “Granite Act” — implying the law is as hard and unyielding as granite). Does not contain exceptions for rape, incest, or most health-of-the-mother cases beyond immediate life-threatening emergencies. Intends to close the loophole that currently exists while Wyoming’s trigger ban remains enjoined in court.

Current status (as of December 2025):Versions of the Granite Act have been pre-filed or are being championed by hardline pro-life legislators (notably Rep. John Bear and Sen. Bo Biteman) for the 2026 Wyoming legislative session. It has not been passed into law yet. Wyoming currently has no functioning abortion ban because the 2022 trigger law (HB 92) and a separate 10-week ban are both permanently or temporarily enjoined by Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens. Abortion remains legal in Wyoming up to viability (thanks to a 2024 court ruling that found a state constitutional right to abortion under certain circumstances). The Granite Act is designed specifically to override or survive those court rulings by redefining fetal personhood in the criminal code.

In short: “WY Granite Act” = Wyoming’s attempt at an ultra-restrictive, personhood-based abortion ban that would make almost all abortions prosecutable as homicide if it ever passes and survives court challenges. As of now, it is still just a bill/proposed legislation, not current law.

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