Wyoming Republican governor Mark Gordon on Friday signed into law a bill outlawing the use of abortion pills after it was approved by state legislators earlier this month.

The governor then appealed to state legislators to propose a total abortion ban be added to the state constitution. 

“I believe this question needs to be decided as soon as possible so that the issue of abortion in Wyoming can be finally resolved, and that is best done with a vote of the people,” Mr Gordon said in a statement. 

According to the law, those who “prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion” will face up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $9,000 (£7,300).

However, the law adds that women, “upon whom a chemical abortion is performed or attempted shall not be criminally prosecuted”. 

The law followed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that overturned the landmark 1973 Roe vs Wade judgment, granting American women the constitutional right to have abortions. 

The Wyoming law is the latest conservative effort by Republicans to restrict access to abortion in the U.S. 

“I believe all life is sacred and that every individual, including the unborn, should be treated with dignity and compassion,” Mr Gordon said in a letter Friday evening to the secretary of state. 

Wyoming American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advocacy director, Antonio Serrano, criticised governor Gordon’s decision to sign the abortion pill law.

“A person’s health, not politics, should guide important medical decisions — including the decision to have an abortion,” Mr Serrano said.

Fifteen states already have limited access to abortion pills in the U.S. This includes six states that require an in-person physician visit after the overturn of the landmark Roe vs Wade case.