MADISON- A nearly two-hundred year old law that would ban abortions in Wisconsin should Roe V. Wade be overturned could soon be eliminated.
Governor Tony Evers today calling for a special session that would take up a repeal of the state’s law that was crafted in 1849. Governor Evers is asking lawmakers to convene in Madison on June 22nd.
“There are so many people in each of our lives—our family members, our friends, and our neighbors—people each of us love and care so much about, who could see their ability to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions taken from them,” Evers said. “The conversation around protecting access to reproductive healthcare begins where I think most of us can agree, which is wanting the people we care about to get the healthcare they need when they need it.”
Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu says Republicans will refuse to take up the special session because Roe v. Wade is still in effect and abortion is still legal in Wisconsin as of now.
“Wisconsin law has not changed and our pro-life position has not changed,” LeMahieu said in his statement, promising to gavel out of another special session.
Last month a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion was obtained by Politico that showed the high court appeared ready to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions nationwide.
Wisconsin is one of ten states that have existing laws on the books that ban abortion that could go into effect should Roe v. Wade be overturned. Wisconsin’s abortion ban labels performing or assisting in an abortion as a Class H felony, punishable by up to six years in prison. The termination of an ‘unborn quick child’ is a Class E felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.”
Attorney General Josh Kaul, who was in attendance at this morning’s press conference, has said he has no intention of enforcing the ban should it become law again.
