Wyoming’s only doctor who openly provides surgical and mediation abortions may soon leave the state, NBC News reported Sunday.
Brent Blue, who is 71 years old, opened an abortion clinic in Jackson, Wyoming 19 years ago. His clinic, Emergacare, was sold to St. John’s Health last year. There, he remained a physician, but turned in a 120-day notice this October, claiming a hostile work environment. His last day is reportedly scheduled for February 10, 2022.
“People throughout Wyoming and Idaho drive hundreds of miles, sometimes through snow and rain, to get to a clinic at the base of the Teton Mountains in Jackson, Wyoming, to see Brent Blue,” NBC’s report states. “Blue is the only doctor in the state who openly provides surgical and medication abortions, but soon his services may no longer be available there.”
Reportedly, Blue is only one of two providers of medication abortions in Wyoming. He told NBC News that he is “offering a medical service that should be part of any well-rounded family care.” As Rebecca covered last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that abortion-inducing drugs will now be available to women without requiring an in-person visit.
After he departs St. John’s Health, Blue told NBC News that he is considering relocating to Idaho to establish a new clinic that would be closer to some of his patients. And, he plans to sue St. John’s and ask the court to void a stipulation that prevents him from working in Teton County, Wyoming for three years.
“Sometimes it’s right for somebody to be pregnant and to have a child, and other times it’s not,” Blue told NBC. “It’s up to that individual woman to make that decision. It’s not up to me.”
“I've always felt that women's rights and women's health are an important issue,” he added. “And I've never understood why women get the short end of the health care stick.”