MADISON, Wis. – As Governor Evers and Attorney General Kaul are leading a lawsuit to directly challenge Wisconsin’s 173 year old abortion ban, anti-abortion groups are pushing for even more extreme restrictions.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio:
Some of Wisconsin’s anti-abortion groups want to tighten the state’s pre-Civil War ban on abortions by removing or rewording the exception that allows doctors to perform the procedure to save the life of the mother.
The push comes as opponents of the ban, led by Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law in its entirety, arguing it’s out-of-date and unenforceable.
Both Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action are calling on lawmakers to pass a so-called personhood amendment to ban abortion in the state constitution.
Rebecca Kleefisch and Tim Michels have advocated for extremely restrictive policies on abortion access and continue to stand by Wisconsin’s 1849 law, which contains no exceptions for rape or incest, and only a narrow and confusing exception for the life a mother that is already restricting access to lifesaving cancer treatment. But Michels’ and Kleefisch’s backers won’t stop there. Both Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action want to remove the life of the mother exception from the 1849 ban and pass a “personhood” amendment to the state constitution.
Personhood amendments not only reinforce Wisconsin’s 1849 law, but they could jeopardize access to certain infertility treatments such as IVF and limit forms of contraception. Rebecca Kleefisch has previously expressed her belief in fetal personhood.
Wisconsin Family Action’s PAC previously endorsed Kleefisch’s campaign for governor. During his failed campaign for U.S. Senate in 2004, Tim Michels touted his support from Pro-Life Wisconsin, saying he had “received a 100% rating” from the group.
Where do Rebecca Kleefisch and Tim Michels stand on the renewed push by anti-abortion groups for a “personhood” amendment to Wisconsin’s Constitution?
Wisconsinites deserve to know how far Michels and Kleefisch are willing to push restrictive abortion access.
“Republicans are poised to restrict access to critical health care and are proud of doing this,” said Hannah Menchhoff, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director. “Even though most Wisconsinites support abortion access, Republicans would rather play partisan politics than listen to Wisconsinites. Rebecca Kleefisch and Tim Michels are too radical for Wisconsin.”
