WISCONSIN—January 17, 2023—Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) supports a proposal by Governor Evers and Democratic minority leaders Representative Greta Neubauer and Senator Melissa Agard that would add a question to the advisory referendum on the April ballot about whether people believe the legislature should repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban.
Statement from Tanya Atkinson, president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI
“Thank you to Governor Evers, Representative Greta Neubauer and Senator Melissa Agard for leading this important effort to allow voters to directly weigh in on whether the Legislature should repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban to the April ballot.
Deciding if or when to become a parent is one of the most personal, life-changing decisions people will make. Everyone should have the freedom and power to control their own bodies and determine when they want to start a family, without politicians interfering.
In November, voters were clear that it’s time to restore access to abortion care in Wisconsin by turning out in historic numbers for Governor Evers and Josh Kaul largely because of their support to repeal Wisconsin’s abortion ban.
Every day, health care providers are seeing the harm the abortion ban is causing by forcing women to travel across state lines, delay care or remain pregnant against their will, including pregnancies that are dangerous to women’s health or the result of sexual abuse.
The abortion ban is having a chilling effect on our ability to train, attract and retain high quality physicians with expertise in reproductive health care. Doctors who have been trained to protect the health and safety of their patients see the dangers of exacerbating the maternal health crisis here in Wisconsin where black women are already dying five times more from pregnancy related complications than white women.
Every day that goes by with the abortion ban on our books is a day that the majority leadership in our legislature is choosing to ignore the pleas from the medical community and the will of the people.
We call on people to contact their legislators to include this urgent question about whether the Legislature should repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion law to restore safe and legal abortion on an advisory referendum. The health, well-being, safety, and freedom of our communities is at stake.”
