Wyoming Passes Law Protecting Crisis Pregnancy Centers

New legislation aims to shield anti-abortion organizations from regulations and oversight

Apr. 6, 2026 at 6:04am

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Conservative lawmakers in Wyoming have passed a law to increase protections for crisis pregnancy centers, organizations that provide some health services but also work to discourage women from having abortions. The legislation, modeled after a proposal from the anti-abortion group Alliance Defending Freedom, would prohibit state and local governments from requiring these centers to provide information about abortion or contraception services.

Why it matters

The new law in Wyoming is part of a broader effort by conservative states to shield crisis pregnancy centers from regulations and oversight, even as these centers have been accused of deceptive practices. Critics argue the legislation blurs the line between advocacy and medical practice, while supporters say it protects the centers' constitutional rights.

The details

The Wyoming bill, known as the Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression (CARE) Act, would allow crisis pregnancy centers to sue any government entity that tries to require them to provide information about abortion or contraception. Similar versions of the CARE Act have advanced in Kansas and Oklahoma this year, and a version was signed into law in Montana in 2025. Supporters of the legislation say crisis pregnancy centers have faced 'unprecedented attacks' following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, while opponents argue the centers falsely present themselves as medical clinics without the same regulations.

  • The Wyoming bill was passed by lawmakers on March 4, 2026.
  • A similar federal proposal, the Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act, was introduced in Congress last year but has not moved out of committee.

The players

Alliance Defending Freedom

An anti-abortion, conservative Christian legal advocacy group that drafted the model legislation for the CARE Act.

Valerie Berry

Executive director of the LifeChoice Pregnancy Care Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who spoke in support of the CARE Act at a legislative hearing.

Ken Clouston

A Republican state representative in Wyoming who expressed concern about granting extra protections to crisis pregnancy centers.

Julie Burkhart

President and founder of Wellspring Health Access, the only clinic in Wyoming that provides abortions, who criticized the CARE Act.

Mary Ziegler

A professor at the University of California-Davis School of Law who said the CARE Act legislation would insulate crisis pregnancy centers from having to meet the standards that medical organizations face.

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What they’re saying

“This legislation is not about creating division. It's about protecting constitutional freedoms, freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience.”

— Valerie Berry, Executive director of the LifeChoice Pregnancy Care Center

“My issue with this is giving extra special protections.”

— Ken Clouston, Republican state representative

“We are the ones providing the accurate information on reproductive health care, and we suffer the consequences for that.”

— Julie Burkhart, President and founder of Wellspring Health Access

“The GOP needs a messaging strategy as for how it cares about women even if it bans abortion and even if it doesn't want to commit state resources to helping people before and after pregnancy. The strategy is to outsource that to pregnancy counseling centers, which of course increases the incentive to protect them.”

— Mary Ziegler, Professor at the University of California-Davis School of Law

What’s next

The Supreme Court is considering a case this year that will decide whether states can subpoena crisis pregnancy centers for donor and internal information, which could have implications for the new Wyoming law.

The takeaway

The new Wyoming law is part of a broader effort by conservative states to shield crisis pregnancy centers from regulations and oversight, even as these centers have been accused of deceptive practices. The legislation reflects the growing political power of these anti-abortion organizations as they seek to fill the gap left by the closure of Planned Parenthood clinics in many areas.