MADISON, Wis. – Today, Governor Evers announced a special session of the Legislature to repeal the pre-Civil War law that criminalizes almost all abortion in Wisconsin.

All four Republicans running for governor have advocated for restrictions that go beyond the 1849 law.

Rebecca Kleefisch told Milwaukee’s Fox 6 that she supports a total ban on abortion in Wisconsin even in cases of rape and incest, and she also opposed an exception to protect the life of a patient. She even once agreed that rape victims should “turn lemons to lemonade” by carrying to term a pregnancy resulting from their assault.

Tim Michels said during his run for Senate in 2004 that it was “not unreasonable” to force rape victims to give birth and that the Legislature should review the 1849 ban to determine if it’s adequate.

Kevin Nicholson told an advocacy group he would ban abortions “in all cases” without exceptions and once pledged to support an extreme “personhood” bill, which could criminalize forms of contraceptives and fertility treatments, like IVF. Tim Ramthun also told the Journal Sentinel that, “I am hardcore, 100% pro-life without exceptions.”

All four candidates have been supported at some point in their political careers by Pro-Life Wisconsin, an extremist anti-abortion group that supports banning abortion in all cases, and is now lobbying to remove exceptions for when a patient’s life is in danger from Wisconsin’s 1849 ban. The organization is even opposed to all forms of “artificial contraception.”

Governor Evers will continue doing the right thing to protect a patient’s ability to make their own health care decisions. He is the last line of defense in Wisconsin on protecting access to abortion and has vetoed nine bills restricting abortion and reproductive health care pushed by Wisconsin Republicans.

“Republicans have made themselves clear: if they get control of state government, they’ll take away all access to abortion and might even sign more extreme laws than the pre-Roe ban already on the books,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “Governor Evers is the only gubernatorial candidate on the ballot who will protect Wisconsinites’ access to abortion. He will never stop fighting to preserve reproductive freedoms.”

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