| How Much Time Should She Do? |
Some Wisconsin Representatives want to make abortion illegal, even in cases of rape.
If abortion is illegal, rape victims could be sent to prison.
How much time should she do?
If abortion is illegal, a woman having an abortion could be a criminal. What is her punishment? |
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Key Messages |  Abortion is a personal decision, not a criminal act.
If abortion is illegal, a woman who seeks one will be treated like a criminal and forced into a dangerous back-alley abortion.
If abortion is illegal, rape victims could be sent to prison.
How much time should she do?
If abortion is illegal, a woman having an abortion could be a criminal. What is her punishment?
Women and their doctors, not politicians, should make personal decisions about abortion. |
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Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Law |  DID YOU KNOW...
...Wisconsin is the only state that could send a woman to prison for having an abortion?
It's true. Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute from 1849 remains on the books even today.
This 159-year-old law (Wis. Stat 940.04) is so extreme that it imposes prison time on women who obtain an abortion, even if the woman is a victim of rape.
If Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and abortion becomes illegal again in Wisconsin, this extreme law would immediately go into effect.
And rape victims and doctors could be sent to prison for having or providing an abortion. |
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The Vote to Remove Criminal Penalties for Rape Victims |  On February 29th, women's health care opponents in the Assembly voted to oppose an effort to protect rape victims from being penalized for having an abortion under Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute, 940.04.
The failure to pass the amendment to Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute affirms that 54 state Representatives do not believe rape victims should be exempt from prison penalties contained in our criminal abortion law.
As a result of these votes, Planned Parenthood has launched a media campaign in Milwaukee, Green Bay and La Crosse to ask those legislators who oppose women's access to abortion, including victims of rape, "how much time should she do?"
If abortion is outlawed, women and their doctors will be criminals – regardless of the circumstances. And efforts to clarify the conflict in our current criminal abortion statute 940.04 to ensure rape victims are not threatened with prison time were rejected by 54 Assembly representatives.
The failure of our elected officials to act in a way that will protect victims of rape from the threat of prison time under 940.04 is unconscionable. Failure to adopt the amendment sends a clear message to women that rape victims are at risk of prison time for having an abortion under Wisconsin's criminal abortion law. |
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| View the Mail Pieces | | Representative Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee)
Representative Mike Huebsch (R-La Crosse)
Representative John Murtha (R-Baldwin)
Representative Jim Ott (R-Mequon)
Representative Karl Van Roy (R-Green Bay)
Representative Mary Williams (R-Medford) |
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| Polling Data of Wisconsin Voters | | 75% of Wisconsin voters oppose criminalizing abortion.
74% of voters have serious doubts about legislators who oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest and who support criminal penalties for women and physicians who participate in abortion.
73% of voters believe "Politicians should not be telling doctors what medical procedures they can use to help save women's lives and protect their health. These decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor."
69% of voters want Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute to be repealed at some point. This includes 72% of voters in the Madison media market, 70% of voters in the Green Bay media market, 65% in the Lacrosse/Wausau media markets and 72% in the Milwaukee media market.
63% of Wisconsin voters agree with the statement "The government should not interfere with a woman's access to abortion," as opposed to 31% of Wisconsin voters who agree with the statement "The government should pass more laws that restrict the availability of abortions."
The preceding information is compiled from 3 different polls Planned Parenthood conducted or was a part of:
April, 2007 Mellman poll of 500 likely Wisconsin voters.
June, 2007 Mellman poll of 600 likely Wisconsin voters.
February, 2008 Celinda Lake poll of 500 likely Wisconsin voters. |
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Women's Health and Safety Act |  Abortion is a personal decision that should be made by a woman and her doctor, not a criminal act. Women should not have to put their health and lives at risk for fear of going to jail under this outdated law still on the books from 1849.
Instead of passing new laws or enforcing old ones that criminalize abortion, we must focus on ways to reduce unintended pregnancies.
Click below to learn more about the Women's Health and Safety Act and the effort to repeal Wisconsin's outdated and dangerous criminal abortion law. |
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