Madison, WI – In the days leading up to the 49th and potentially last anniversary of Roe, Tanya Atkinson, President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin joined with Governor Tony Evers, Attorney General Kaul, and other elected and community leaders to call for the repeal of Wisconsin’s 172-year-old criminal abortion ban. Wisconsin’s abortion ban could criminalize all abortion, at any point in pregnancy with no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the pregnant person if Roe is overturned.

Statement from Tanya Atkinson, President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI:

“We are witnessing is the greatest threat to abortion access in nearly 50 years that could impact nearly 1.3 million women of reproductive age in Wisconsin.

With the Supreme Court deliberating a case that could overturn Roe, this is a wakeup call to come together to protect and support our friends and family members’ ability to decide if or when they become a parent. Unless we act now to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban, people could lose the ability to access the health care they need.

People like Ginger, who had a wanted pregnancy go tragically wrong and abortion became an important option for her health and family. Or people like 21-year-old college student Madi, who was not ready to have a child and wanted to finish school. Or ‘Jane’, who was an incest victim who became pregnant at 12 years old by her father. Or any of the estimated 3 million women in the United States who become pregnant following a rape.

Every day our Legislature doesn’t pass this bill is a day our legislature is choosing to make abortion a crime in the state of Wisconsin.

Banning abortion won’t stop abortion, it only makes it unsafe and puts women’s health and lives at risk. Abortion is a deeply personal, private decision that each person must be able to make for themselves.

Thank you to Governor Evers, Attorney General Kaul and to all of the elected leaders and organizations who are taking urgent action to protect access to essential health care and the freedom for people to make their own health care decisions so they can decide if and when to become a parent.”

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