Wyoming Lawmakers Advance Bill Shielding Medical Professionals’ Free Speech

A House committee voted 8-1 Wednesday to advance legislation protecting healthcare providers from state discrimination based on their protected speech, despite testimony from state licensing officials who said the bill addresses a problem that doesn’t exist in Wyoming. House Bill 143, the Free Speech for Healthcare Providers Act, now heads to the full House.

Sponsor Rep. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, framed the bill around what she called “a simple and important principle.” She said, “The state should not interfere with free speech rights of healthcare professionals. This preserves their freedom to speak with patients according to their oath to do no harm without fear or discrimination.”

The bill would prohibit any state agency, board or commission from taking adverse actions—including licensing sanctions, reprimands or termination—against healthcare providers for legally protected speech. It creates a private cause of action for providers whose rights are violated and excludes speech that directly causes patient harm within the preceding three years.

Supporters, including Greg Chafuen of the conservative legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, pointed to cases from other states: a University of Louisville child psychiatrist demoted after questioning gender procedures for minors, and a Colorado counselor challenging a state law she says censors her faith-informed therapy.

But Kevin Bohnenblust, executive director of the Wyoming Board of Medicine, told the committee his board has never punished a provider for free speech—not during COVID, not when a licensee made an offensive online joke, and not when out-of-state critics demanded action against U.S. Sen. John Barrasso. “I think that in some ways, this is a solution sort of in search of a problem here in Wyoming,” he said.

Rachael Fillbrandt of the Wyoming Board of Nursing echoed him, saying her board receives daily complaints about provider speech—including social media posts—and routinely declines to investigate.

Sarah Penn, a family nurse practitioner and former legislator, testified the bill is needed despite no formal actions. She cited letters during the pandemic warning physicians that COVID-19 vaccine “misinformation” could trigger disciplinary action. “I think there’s definitely a heavy hand in those types of things,” Penn said.

Bohnenblust countered that such letters carried no enforcement authority in Wyoming. “Our board’s still going to apply Wyoming law,” he said.

Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, cast the sole vote against the bill. The legislation now moves to the full House for consideration.