Wisconsin Republicans Reject Governor Evers’ Demand to Repeal Abortion Ban

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jun 23, 2022   |   7:13AM   |   Madison, Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Legislature rejected pro-abortion Gov. Tony Evers’ demands Wednesday to repeal a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion ban that soon may protect unborn babies from abortion again.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Evers, a pro-abortion Democrat, called a special legislative session to repeal the 1849 pro-life law.

But the Republican-led legislature quickly dismissed the governor’s attempt, opening and closing the session quickly without debate Wednesday in the state Senate, according to the report.

“Wisconsin law has not changed and our pro-life position has not changed,” state Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in a statement “We will gavel out of another blatantly political special session call from this partisan governor.”

The century-old state law protects unborn babies by banning abortions unless the mother’s life is at risk. The law states that “any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child” may be charged with a felony and face up to six years in prison.

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Evers, a close ally of Planned Parenthood, urged lawmakers to repeal the ban, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe later this month and allow state laws like theirs to go back into effect.

“The protections that people in this state have relied upon for nearly 50 years are in peril, and without swift action, so many people — our neighbors, parents, families and friends — could soon be unable to access the healthcare they need and deserve,” the governor said in his special session order, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Abortions are not healthcare, however; and the law that Evers opposes would protect people – more than 6,000 a year. According to the state Department of Health Services, 6,511 unborn babies were aborted in 2019.

Wisconsin Right to Life legislative director Gracie Skogman criticized the governor for trying to repeal protections for babies in the womb.

“We are disappointed but not surprised by Governor Evers’ disregard for the lives of preborn children in Wisconsin,” Skogman said. “Wisconsin Right to Life will continue to advocate for the right to life for all, to ensure that our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to be born and live in a state that defends life.”

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood announced that it will stop scheduling abortions in Wisconsin starting Saturday in anticipation that the state abortion ban will go back into effect.

Wisconsin has a pro-life Republican majority in the state legislature and a pro-abortion Democrat governor. Over the past several years, the legislature has passed a number of pro-life bills, including one to protect newborns who survive abortions from infanticide, but Evers has vetoed them.

In 1973, the Supreme Court forced states to legalize abortions up to viability and allowed abortions up to birth through Roe v. Wade. Since then, more than 63 million unborn babies and hundreds of mothers have died in supposedly “safe,” legal abortions.

Soon, the justices are expected to release their decision on a major abortion case out of Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s HealthA leaked draft ruling in May showed a majority agreeing to overturn Roe and allow states to protect unborn babies from abortion again.