First-Day Fireworks In Wyoming Senate Over Abortion, Pick For Committee Leader

It didn’t even take a full day for fireworks to go off at the Wyoming Legislature.

During the committee confirmation process in the Wyoming Senate, which has historically been a relatively procedural process, a call was made by Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, to reject Senate President Bo Biteman’s nomination of Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, to be chairman of the Senate Health, Labor and Social Services Committee because of his stance on abortion.

Barlow’s voting record appears to be consistently pro-life but Hicks told Cowboy State Daily that when Barlow was House Speaker, he kept certain abortion bills in his drawer and sent others to committees where they wouldn't have a chance of passing.

Barlow said his voting record on abortion shouldn’t be an issue, mentioning how he voted in support of the two bills outlawing abortion in most circumstances in Wyoming in 2023. 

“If there’s a concern about where I have voted or what I have voted for, as a member of this body, that is the most recent record,” he said. “If somebody would like to talk to me about my faith and my deep abiding faith in the Lord, I’d be glad to do that.”

Barlow was still approved with a 28-3 vote. Hicks, Sens. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, and Laura Pearson, R-Kemmerer, were the only members to not support nominating Barlow. 

The voting split is significant as it was Hicks and Steinmetz who had run for Senate leadership late last year. They were defeated in that effort by Biteman and his leadership slate. 

Biteman didn’t engage in the debate, but he did refer to Barlow as “my pick.” 

Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Casper, defended Barlow, calling him the most qualified senator to lead this committee because of his work as a veterinarian. He called Hicks’ motion “frivolous and politically motivated.”

“Does not build goodwill and is divisive and does not show civility in this body,” Anderson said of the motion.

Belief System

Hicks pointed out that committee chairmen can block or prevent any legislation assigned to a committee from being heard. They can also strategically prioritize the hearing of certain bills so that the Legislature runs out of time before other bills can be heard.

Barlow vowed to not let his personal beliefs impede which bills are heard.

While he didn’t dispute Barlow’s qualifying experience for the role, Hicks expressed concern about Barlow’s voting record on abortion, which he characterized as a “long record” of supporting the practice, which Hicks considers to be murder.

“Which is antithetical to my own values and is antithetical to the moral laws of our country as defined by our founding fathers,” Hicks said.

Although there aren’t any bills drafted for the current session outlawing the practice of abortion at this time, there are a few that will place more scrutiny and regulations on service providers offering and women seeking abortions.

Nothing Personal?

Hicks clarified that his motion was not made with any personal malice against Barlow and only upon his “own moral convictions and sincere belief in fulfilling my oath of office as a senator in the state of Wyoming.”

He also questioned how God could bless the Senate or Wyoming by turning “a blind eye to God’s laws,” and claimed the numbers on the U.S. Supreme Court building represent the Ten Commandments. This may be incorrect as the sculptor of the building has said they represent the Bill of Rights.

Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, the longest serving member of the Legislature, also rose in Barlow’s defense. He mentioned how his Unitarian Church is pro-choice on the issue of abortion, which he agrees with. Scott served as chairman of the Senate Labor Committee from 1993-2020.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to deny a chairmanship based on an individual’s beliefs on this particular issue, which are often founded on religion,” he said. “I think it’s inappropriate to deny a committee chairmanship on this basis.”

Barlow served with Scott as the co-chair of this committee from 2017-2018.

“I would hope that he (Scott) would say I served with respect and dignity toward the institution, toward the public that presented and towards my colleague on both sides of the house that brought bills I may or may not have supported,” Barlow said.