In Wyoming, USA, a 22-year-old woman named Lorna Roxanne Green was arrested for setting fire to an abortion clinic in May 2022. The Wellspring Health Access clinic was scheduled to open a few days after the incident and was the first center to offer abortion services locally. The website of Wellspring also mentions that the center provides gender-affirming services. If Green is convicted, she would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The arrestee was taken into custody on March 21 thanks to tips authorities received after offering a $15,000 reward for information about the case.
The FBI, Casper Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Explosives were all involved in Green’s arrest. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. However, the opening of the clinic was postponed after the incident and has not yet been able to open. Despite this, Wellspring officials say they plan to open soon.
It is important to note that the state of Wyoming recently became the first US state to specifically ban the abortion pill mifepristone after Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, gave the green light to a law that will go into effect on July 1. Several activist organizations have filed a court challenge to that rule and to a near-total ban on abortion that went into effect on March 19, although the latter does not have the governor’s signature.