Milwaukee, WI – Today, Governor Tony Evers called for a special session on June 22, 2022 for the Wisconsin State Legislature to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban. This follows the recent Politico release of a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court in a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, demonstrating the court’s intent to strike down Roe v. Wade.
State Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“We’re living in unprecedented and dystopic times, with one of the most impactful decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court on the horizon. Reproductive freedom is in jeopardy here in Wisconsin. Governor Evers is taking necessary action in calling for a special session for the state legislature to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban because every person has the right to choose if and when to become a parent, without political interference.
“If Roe is overturned, a 173-year-old Wisconsin law criminalizing abortion will likely go into effect. We must not return to the days of criminalizing doctors for providing care to their patients and criminalizing patients for seeking that care. In fact, we know that banning abortions won’t stop them here in Wisconsin or anywhere else—it will only make abortions unsafe and put peoples’ lives at risk just for accessing the healthcare they need.
“We can’t sit back and wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to make a decision that will turn back the clock decades and affect every single Wisconsinite—our State Legislature must come together to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban. I applaud Governor Evers for taking action and defending reproductive rights. I implore my legislative colleagues not to simply gavel in and out of this extremely vital special session.
“Wisconsinites—our friends, neighbors, and family members—need us to act with compassion and protect the fundamental right to bodily autonomy. Protecting the right to have an abortion—to make private and personal medical decisions—has never been so urgent.”
Sign the petition to call on our legislative leaders to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban in Governor Evers’ special session on June 22, 2022.
