MADISON, WI – Today, State Senators LaTonya Johnson, Kelda Roys, Doctor Kristin Lyerly held a press conference calling out Senator Andre Jacque’s new ‘Catch Kit’ Bill for what it really is: an outright attack on the reproductive healthcare of women across Wisconsin. Legislation that would force women who use abortion medication to end a pregnancy or medically address a miscarriage to collect, bag up, and return any biological byproducts is simply a way to punish the women in question and has no place in our state.
Senator LaTonya Johnson made the following comment on the distorted priorities of Wisconsin Republicans:
“Instead of addressing these key affordability-related concerns, Republican Senators seem intent on humiliating women who are already going through what can be a deeply traumatic experience. It is part of a larger effort to claw back the full abortion ban their caucus has been chasing since the overturning of Roe V. Wade. This demonstrates an unacceptable willingness to impose punitive and dehumanizing requirements on women in Wisconsin.”
Senator Kelda Roys made the following comment on Republicans continued attacks on the rights of Wisconsin women:
“This is all happening at a time when Republicans have made clear how little they care about the well-being of women and families. They want to dictate how many high chairs you have around your table. They want to dictate how many mouths parents are responsible to feed. But they show no interest whatsoever in helping us do that. In fact, this is the same party that just went to court to try to use hungry children as political hostages, went to court for the right to try to illegally violate the law and deny SNAP benefits to hungry families. They want working parents to do more and more work for less and less money. And the legislation that they are proposing shows their total contempt for women and for families”
Northeastern Wisconsin Physician, Kristin Lyerly, made the following comment on the barbarity of Sen. Jacque’s bill:
“For many people, including myself, miscarriage is a truly heartbreaking, devastating situation. Senator Jacque is making it worse. So that couple who just found out that they lost their baby, they visit their doctor, and after hearing about all of their options, they decide that medical treatment is the best thing for them. Well, it’s the same medication that we use for abortion care. And because of Senator Jacque, this couple would now be forced to collect the biological byproducts of their miscarriage, the blood and the tissue that comes out of her uterus. They’d have to put it in a bag and return it to the medical facility. It’s disgusting. Now, if you’ve ever suffered the pain and anguish and uncertainty of a miscarriage, I know you understand, and so many of us have. This is unnecessary trauma. But Senator Jacque doesn’t care.”
