Wyoming woman charged with burning abortion clinic heads to court
The 22-year-old woman blamed for starting a fire that stopped a women’s health clinic from opening in Casper, Wyoming faces a Tuesday detention hearing.
U.S. Magistrate Stephanie Hambrick will decide whether accused arsonist Lorna Roxanne Green remains in jail or is freed on bond if her case goes to trial. Green is accused of setting ablaze the soon-to-be-opened Wellspring Health Access clinic — which would have provided abortion services — last May. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $250,000.
There was no indication of Green’s anti-abortion radicalism on social media before the incident or during the nine months between the fire and her arrest. Green posted photos from a butterfly garden she visited with her grandmother days before allegedly driving from Laramie to Casper to scorch the clinic. Tips led investigators to the accused arsonist this month after a reward was raised from $5,000 to $15,000.
After her arrest last week, Green told an ATF agent she opposes abortion rights and was having nightmares about the opening of the abortion facility.
The clinic, with the stated mission “to bring access to quality reproductive healthcare to patients in abortion deserts,” was repaired and expected to open next month. However, the facility remains dormant. A Wyoming abortion ban passed Sunday without the governor’s signature, but a judge suspended its implementation.
Abortionfinder.org says abortion is currently legal but restricted in Wyoming while that legislation is being challenged in the courts.
Wyoming became the first state to ban medication abortion earlier this month. That ban on pills takes effect July 1.
Green appears to have led a normal life after the hospital fire, which included participating in a bike race less than two weeks later, according to her social media posts. In September, she posted about losing her pet hedgehog on Instagram. Green’s most recent post was on Jan. 6, where she recommended using licorice to make a headband that “increases brainpower.”
With News Wire Services
