Abortion are on the decline in Wisconsin and they are poised to drop further thanks to new pro-life laws signed by Governor Scott Walker. Abortions dropped 7.4 percent in Wisconsin in the prior report.
Last year, Walker added to his pro-life list of accomplishments today by signing bills the pro-life movement supported, including measures to stop abortion funding in Obamacare and webcam abortions.
Wisconsin Right to Life officials told LifeNews Wisconsin abortions have decreased 68% from their all-time high in 1980 and 60% since Wisconsin began requiring abortion reporting in 1987.
“The 4.4% decrease in Wisconsin abortions in 2012 is fantastic news for babies and their mothers who choose life for them,” stated Barbara L. Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life.
“Wisconsin Right to Life implements a bold, expansive strategy each year to educate young people, women most likely to have an abortion, and the general public about the value of life; to refer women to resources to help carry their babies to term; and to provide leadership for sweeping public policy reforms which protect women, unborn children, families and taxpayers,” continued Lyons. “The vision of these strategies makes Wisconsin a national model for abortion decrease. It is a gratifying fulfillment of our mission for Wisconsin Right to Life to lead combined efforts which result in life for vulnerable babies and spare their mothers a lifetime of emotional pain.”
According to an AP report, abortions declined 4.4 percent from 2011-2012:
The Department of Health Services reported Monday that there were 6,927 abortions in 2012. That is down from 7,249 in 2011 for a drop of 4.4 percent.
It marks the third year in a row that abortions have gone down. Prior to an increase between 2008 and 2009, abortions had dropped for five straight years.
The rate of women aged 15-44 who had an abortion in 2012 was 6.1 per 1,000, down from 6.3 per 1,000 the year before. That is well below the national rate of 15.1 per 1,000 as of the most recent data available from 2009.
State law requires any facility that provides abortions to report statistics to the state.
In July, Walker signed Senate Bill 206 (Sonya’s Law) into law. This important new law requires that women seeking abortions in Wisconsin be given the opportunity to see their unborn children through ultrasound.
“We thank Governor Walker for signing this important piece of legislation into law,” said Wisconsin Right to Life legislative director Armacost. “Sonya’s Law will empower women to make truly informed decisions regarding how they will proceed with their pregnancies and will protect the lives of women who experience complications after their abortions.”
“The announcement of an impending lawsuit is no surprise to anyone,” said Susan Armacost, Legislative Director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “It appears that the court challenge will focus on the hospital admitting privileges requirement. Apparently, Wisconsin’s abortion clinics don’t believe their abortionists need to have hospital privileges at a hospital located within 30 miles of their clinic….or anywhere at all. Currently, when a woman experiences hemorrhaging or other life-threatening complications after an abortion in Wisconsin, the clinic puts her in an ambulance and sends her to a hospital ALONE where she is left to her own devices to explain her medical issues to the emergency room staff. The abortionist who performed the abortion is nowhere to be seen. This deplorable situation must change.”
Armacost said the new law is on sound constitutional footing. Nine other states have passed laws requiring abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. Missouri’s admitting privilege law was challenged and upheld by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
After Walker signed the bill, the Planned Parenthood abortion business shut down one clinic in Appleton and another facility end abortions at another center in Green Bay.
