MADISON – Today, Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), upon learning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected abortion rights nationwide, released the following statement:

“If there was any doubt that partisan politics have consumed the nation’s highest court, we got our answer today. I share Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s belief that the conservatives on the Supreme Court are going to move the country sharply to the right. Everything is on the table and everything is on the chopping block, precedent be damned.”

In an immediate nod to the calls for Congress to act to protect a woman’s reproductive freedoms, Taylor is frustrated by the uncertainty this ruling has created for women across the country. In Wisconsin, the state’s 173-year-old abortion ban is once again the law of the land. Abortions are illegal in the Badger State, unless deemed medically necessary to save the patient’s life. Providing an abortion, in Wisconsin, is now a felony punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

“We have states that are ready to roll. Whether existing or trigger laws, your right to an abortion is now contingent upon where you live. There will be near complete abortion bans, partial bans and possible felony charges for those who attempt to obtain this medical procedure that yesterday was legal in this country. While we sift through the full ramifications of this decision and our response, we know that questions about contraception, medication abortion or other family planning options are now in play.”

Taylor says she will continue to work at both the state and federal level to assist women and girls impacted by the SCOTUS reversal of federal abortion rights. As announcements begin to surface about the criminalization of abortion in some states, Taylor added “women are not second class citizens and we all know these sweeping types of healthcare decisions would never happen to a man. ”

In closing Taylor said, “Guns yesterday, abortion today. We have a litany of remaining freedoms, rights, and decisions that are in jeopardy under the control of an activist conservative Supreme Court. A court make-up by the way, that was pulled together through Mitch McConnell’s unethical behavior and stolen appointments.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email