MADISON – This morning, Legislative Democrats introduced the Restore Roe Act. This would repeal the 1849 criminal abortion ban and restore access to abortion in Wisconsin. The ban was enacted before women gained the right to vote and a decade before the first shots of the Civil War.
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the landmark Roe v. Wade decision which protects legal abortion access. The 1849 law would make it a felony for any doctor to perform abortion services with penalties that include prison time. With the overturning of Roe, Wisconsin is left with uncertainty regarding the status of criminality regarding abortion care.
Representative Snodgrass (D – Appleton) released the following statement:
“The bottom line is that the right of an individual to make their own healthcare decision includes making decisions about abortion. Abortion is part of comprehensive healthcare, period. In a country where freedom and individual liberties are upheld so enthusiastically, it’s shocking how Republican legislators in states like Wisconsin have attempted to wrench control away from pregnant people by preventing them from determining their own futures based on their own, unique and individual circumstances. Today’s Restore Roe Act is what the people of Wisconsin want and Republicans need to stop half measures and come to the floor for a real debate on the future of abortion rights in our state.”
Representative Shelton (D – Green Bay) released the following statement:
“We must restore full reproductive freedoms, including abortions, in Wisconsin. The overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites agree – the archaic 1849 abortion ban needs to be overturned entirely. Along with Gov. Evers and my Democratic colleagues, I promised my constituents that I would always fight to protect access to abortion and reproductive rights. The Restore Roe Act, legislation that I am thrilled to co-sponsor, will ensure the reproductive freedom women have counted on for decades. Our lives depend on it.”
