MADISON, Wis. — Today, WisDems First Vice Chair Sarah Godlewski, Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, State Representative Lisa Subeck, Attorney General Josh Kaul and Dr. Sarah Dobbins held a press conference marking the anniversary of the Dobbs decision—a ruling that stripped Wisconsin women of fundamental reproductive freedoms. The speakers detailed the devastating, ongoing consequences of a decision handed down by a Supreme Court that has been bought and paid for by Donald Trump and Republicans out in D.C., along with the Democratic efforts and victories in the fight to ensure Wisconsin Women’s rights are not taken away.
Watch the press conference here and see what speakers had to say, in part, below:
Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein:
“Wisconsin women are still living under tough restrictions and far too many women, particularly in our rural communities, are living in what can only be described as reproductive care deserts. They are driving hours, they’re crossing state lines, making impossible choices about their time, their money, and their health, just to access what should be available in our home state of Wisconsin.
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“I know we’ve talked about a Democratic trifecta over and over again, but I want to be explicitly clear about what it means to women in the state of Wisconsin, and to their families as well. A Democratic trifecta means we can pass laws that protect reproductive rights rather than restrict them. It means we have an Attorney General who will enforce those protections and fight back when they are challenged. It means a Governor who will not sign legislation that strips women’s autonomy away. Let’s be clear, we don’t know what the federal government has in store for us. Every day seems like a nightmare when I wake up and I see what in the world is happening in Washington D.C., but we know we can build that blue wall here in the state of Wisconsin, so that no matter what chaos is happening in Washington D.C. we can protect people in our own state.”
WisDems First Vice Chair Sarah Godlewski:
“These medical reproductive decisions do not belong to Donald Trump, they don’t belong to Tom Tiffany, they quite frankly don’t belong to any politician in Madison or in Washington, and that’s why this fight isn’t over, because we have now a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take back our Legislature and make sure reproductive freedom is the law of the land here in Wisconsin. Because we are two seats away in the Senate and five seats away in the Assembly from securing a Democratic majority who is actually going to protect our reproductive freedoms. We have the ability to elect an Attorney General, a Governor, and a Lieutenant Governor, who are going to protect [reproductive freedoms], so hopefully a year from now we’re not remembering Dobbs for what it did, we’re remembering Wisconsin for what we’re going to do to make sure that our reproductive freedom is written into law and not holding on by a shoestring.”
State Representative Lisa Subeck:
“Earlier this year, after years, and I mean years, of standing up to a Republican-controlled Legislature, we finally passed postpartum Medicaid expansion, and that was because Democrats fought hard, because Democrats called their legislators, because Democrats in the Legislature kept the pressure on, and we were finally able to pass postpartum Medicaid expansion. This law guarantees that Wisconsin women have healthcare coverage for a full year after giving birth, and I want to think for a minute about what that means. It means that a mother who brings a new baby into the world for 12 months, she knows that she can see a doctor when she needs one, she knows that she can get the care she needs in order to heal, to stay healthy, and most importantly, to be there for her child.
“We also passed Gail’s Law, which expands access to breast cancer screenings for women in our state, including new mothers, particularly whose breast tissue can become more dense during and after, during and after breast feeding, and making these screenings more complex and even more essential, and Republicans fought us on this too. They fought us on guaranteed healthcare for new moms.
“So, you have to ask yourself, if they truly believe in supporting families, how do they vote against these bills? How do they push back? How do they refuse to hold hearings and refuse for years to bring these bills to the floor until the pressure got too great. How do Republicans look a new mother in the eye and say that she does not deserve to see a doctor? Democrats have ensured that she can. Now you have to ask yourself: If Republicans truly cared about women’s health, if they truly wanted children to grow up in happy and healthy homes, why would they fight so hard against these laws? Why push back on health care for new mothers? […] Why resist cancer screenings? And I’m going to tell you, the answer is pretty simple. Republicans in the Legislature are more focused on controlling women’s bodies than on delivering results for Wisconsin families.
“Here is what I want folks to understand. It is not enough to say that you care about a child before they are born, and then to abandon their mother the moment she walks out of that hospital. That is not pro-family, that is not pro life, that is a political position dressed up as a moral one. And Wisconsin families deserve, Wisconsin families deserve better than self-interested lawmakers policing women’s personal health care decisions.”
Attorney General Josh Kaul:
“If […] we elect a Democratic Governor and Democratic majorities in the State Legislature, we can repeal that mid 1800s law from the books once and for all. We can pass legislation that helps protect reproductive healthcare in the state of Wisconsin, legislation that is pro-family and pro-mother. If we have a Republican majority back in the Legislature, and a Governor Tiffany, that creates a threat that we would have new restrictions on abortion passed into law in the state of Wisconsin.
“So, the choice in this election is very, very stark. We have the opportunity to elect a pro-choice Governor and Lieutenant Governor and pro-choice majorities in the Legislature. In the AGs race, the contrast is stark as well: Eric Toney didn’t just attack me for filing that lawsuit that challenged the abortion ban—he wanted to give the Attorney General power to bring enforcement actions to prosecute medical providers for providing abortions in the state of Wisconsin. He even raised the possibility of allowing DAs to bring prosecutions in neighboring counties. He called the Dobbs decision a win for life and the rule of law. So, in the AGs race, voters have a choice between somebody who has taken those positions and somebody who has fought for reproductive freedom and continues to stand up to the Trump administration as they seek to restrict access to reproductive freedom.”
Dr. Sarah Dobbins:
“My work as a healthcare practitioner dramatically changed following the Dobbs decision. Women and children no longer had federal protections to get the reproductive, and sometimes life-saving, care they needed. While many elected Republicans cheered the decision and patients were left scrambling, myself and many others responded by creating a nurse navigation program that offers on-call nurse support for all reproductive healthcare needs. This program, and many others, remains robust today. Our nurses answer patient questions and provide them with resources, including all options of reproductive care. Despite the challenge to the 1849 law, restrictions are still in place that make accessing abortion in Wisconsin extremely difficult, and we have more work to do. I continue to encounter many women that have to travel out of state to receive the care they need.
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“Wisconsinites have proven time and again that they believe women and their healthcare teams are best equipped to make healthcare decisions. Healthcare professionals are ready to serve their patients appropriately, and no longer be hamstrung by extreme, restrictive laws based on pseudoscience.”
