MADISON, WI- In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Representative Angela Stroud (D-Ashland) alongside fellow Democratic lawmakers, introduced the Abortion Rights Restoration Act on Wednesday. This comprehensive bill would restore and protect the right of women to make personal healthcare decisions about pregnancy in consultation with their doctor.
According to Stroud, “This legislation reaffirms a core principle: healthcare decisions should be made by patients and their doctors, not politicians. I respect that people have different views about abortion, but politicians have no business determining what we do with our bodies or what kind of healthcare we’re able to access. When women need an abortion in this state, they and their doctors are required to jump through medically unnecessary hoops like having two appointments rather than one and ultrasounds that aren’t medically needed. This bill expands access to healthcare for women throughout the state, including in rural areas like the 73rd. This is about our fundamental right to have freedom over our own bodies.”
In addition to striking the 1849 criminal abortion ban, the law would expand access to telehealth for medication abortions, would expand which medical practitioners can provide abortion care, and would allow public employee health insurance to cover abortion care. Polling data shows that the vast majority of Wisconsinite favor these legal changes.
