MADISON, WI — On Tuesday, Attorney General Josh Kaul stated that he has no plans to enforce Wisconsin’s ban on abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court votes to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision later this year.
In a statement to the media, Kaul stated, “I do not think that a ban on abortion should be enforced by any DA or law enforcement agency, both because it infringes on a fundamental freedom, but also because the resources of those agencies, and DOJ likewise, are much better used investigating things like violent crime or drug trafficking and should not be going towards trying to prosecute people for their involvement in abortions.”
In response, State Representative Dave Murphy (R-Greenville) said, “It is Josh Kaul’s responsibility to uphold the laws of Wisconsin whether he likes it or not. He took an oath to uphold the Constitution. If Kaul believes he can’t enforce the laws as they are written, then he should not be Wisconsin’s top cop.”
Wisconsin law makes it a felony to provide an abortion, stating “Any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty [of a felony].” This has been the law since 1849. Murphy noted, “If Democratic politicians wanted to change the law in the last 173 years, there have been numerous Democratic governors and Democratic controlled legislatures that could have done it.”
Kaul has served as Wisconsin’s Attorney General since 2019. When he ran for the office, his “Why I am running” page of his website noted that, “We need an Attorney General who is willing to take on tough fights and who is focused, every day, on protecting Wisconsinites.” Murphy commented, “Clearly Kaul is only willing to protect certain people under Wisconsin’s laws, and that doesn’t include unborn children.”
