Photo: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
Planned Parenthood patient and clinician
For nearly 50 years women in Wisconsin, and the United States, have enjoyed the privilege of knowing they had access to safe and legal abortions. This past Saturday marked the 49th year since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on Roe v. Wade which affirmed a constitutional right to abortion. As unthinkable as it may have been even a few years ago, it seems as though the court may now be preparing to meddle with “settled law” and rule in favor of a restrictive abortion law in Mississippi that would effectively reverse the Roe decision.
If that would happen, the power to decide whether or not a woman can choose what happens with her own body would go back to individual states, and Wisconsin women could be in for a real shock. “Wisconsin has a 172-year-old criminal abortion ban on the books,” says Tanya Atkinson, President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of WI. “If Roe is overturned, that means all abortions would be illegal in our state, across the board. Women could be made to carry pregnancies to term against their will or against their medical best interest. We need to trust women to make those decisions for themselves.”
American women in today’s world enjoy so many freedoms and have gained so much in the past 50 years, it seems unbelievable that this is where we are today. And, while Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul are not ready to just hand over the reproductive rights of Wisconsin women to the GOP-dominated state legislature, their ability to protect those rights is severely hampered by the legislature’s unwillingness to reach across the aisle. But, as Atkinson observes, “Keeping abortion safe and legal transcends party politics, because we know a majority of people in Wisconsin do support keeping it legal.”
In early 2021, State Representative Lisa Subeck, State Senator Kelda Roys and other like-minded colleagues introduced the Abortion Rights Preservation Act which would repeal Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban if Roe is overturned. Unfortunately, their efforts haven’t been advanced in any meaningful way since being proposed.
Serious Repercussions
With more than 3 million women of reproductive age in Wisconsin, the loss of Roe’s protections could bring serious repercussions to populations that are already stressed by economic and social concerns. Atkinson says, “There’s a great deal of racial disparity in our country surrounding healthcare and access to prenatal care, so any decision that adversely effects abortion rights Wisconsin will have a much greater impact on women of color. Needlessly putting their lives at risk.” Older women, who remember the time before Roe was the law of the land, probably know or knew someone who had a back-alley abortion and suffered life-long health complications as a result.
|
|
So, what can choice-minded people do to try to keep Wisconsin women from being held hostage by 19th century laws? “Tell your representatives how you feel. Call and keep on calling,” suggests Atkinson. “And, If you’re someone who is already inspired, inspire others. Talk to your network and tell them why you feel the way that you do. Maybe you’ll inspire someone to get involved and inspire people in their own network.”
For more information or to get involved, visit: plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-advocates-wisconsin
To contact your state representatives. visit: legis.wisconsin.gov.
