Ramthun’s Comments Echo Kleefisch’s Suggestion That Rape Victims Should Turn “Lemons to Lemonade”
MADISON, Wis. – It turns out Tim Ramthun is more than just an election conspiracy theorist — he’s got radical views on abortion too. Speaking at a GOP event in Wood County this week, Ramthun shared that he supported a total ban on abortion, with zero exceptions, noting he “[doesn’t] care how conception occured.”
But we don’t just have to take his word for it – in the Assembly, Ramthun once voted against a bill banning abortion in Wisconsin because it wasn’t extreme enough. The portion Ramthun took issue with? It exempted people who had an abortion under certain circumstances from being prosecuted. You read that right: Tim was upset the bill didn’t allow for sending anyone who had an abortion to jail.
Ramthun’s comments are eerily reminiscent of Rebecca Kleefisch’s comments from 2010. Kleefisch agreed that survivors of rape should “turn lemons into lemonade,” and defended Sharron Angle when she made this comment, calling it, “Sharron Angle telling it like it is.”
And as you can see from the post below, Kleefisch posted these egregious remarks on Facebook not once, but twice. And then she left it up… for more than ten years.
Kleefisch has vowed to sign a Texas-style ban on abortions, which prohibits abortion at six weeks, before most people know they are pregnant, and does not include exceptions for rape or incest; expressed support for “personhood” legislation, which not only criminalizes abortion but also jeopardizes birth control and fertility treatments such as IVF; promoted the idea that there were different levels of “rape,” saying “there is a way to have a more forcible rape”; and helped to take critical reproductive health care services away from Wisconsinites.
While the GOP primary has been an absolute mess, banning access to critical reproductive health care is something all three of the major candidates agree on.
During his last failed campaign, Kevin Nicholson received a perfect “100 percent” rating from Pro-Life Wisconsin, which confirmed to the Associated Press that Nicholson promised to support all of their demands, including banning abortion “in all cases,” with no exceptions for rape, incest, or when a mother’s life is in jeopardy.
Finally, Republican politicians in the Legislature – Ramthun included – have repeatedly attempted to limit abortion access, and should a Republican be elected governor, their extreme agenda could become law. The Wisconsin GOP’s attack on reproductive rights is a part of a calculated effort by Republicans to ban abortion nationwide and interfere with a person’s ability to make their own health care decisions.
No matter who the GOP nominates, Governor Evers is fighting to make access to affordable health care a reality for everyone in Wisconsin. He is the last line of defense against attacks on reproductive health care, underscoring the importance of re-electing a Democratic governor in 2022.
“Anyone who has heard Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson, and Tim Ramthun’s comments on reproductive health care should be sounding the alarm,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “Despite all their infighting, every Republican running for governor wholeheartedly agrees that banning access to abortion is at the top of their list if they take office next year. Governor Tony Evers is the only thing standing in the way of Republicans enacting their scorched-earth agenda and eliminating access to reproductive health care.”
