Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin News Wire
Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Edition

Special Roe Edition:

  • The Time for Change is Now-Women’s Health and Safety Act Launched 
  • How Much Time Should She Do?
  • Special Interest Groups Blocking the Best Way to Prevent Abortion


The Time for Change is Now-Women’s Health and Safety Act Launched
With anti-health care lawmakers and special interest groups working every day to make abortion illegal in Wisconsin and nationwide, champions of women’s health and safety are marking the 35th Roe anniversary with a call to repeal Wisconsin’s antiquated criminal abortion statute.

Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) and Rep. Terese Berceau (D-Madison) introduced Senate Bill 398, the Women’s Health and Safety Act today at the State Capitol to remove the 158-year-old criminal abortion statute (Wis. Stat. Sec. 940.04) from the Wisconsin books. The criminal abortion statute outlaws abortion and provides criminal penalties for women and physicians, and would be enforced immediately if Roe v. Wade were to be reversed — a very real threat given the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Everyone should support getting this statute off the books. We should never go back to the time when women died of infection and hemorrhaging because they couldn’t obtain a legal, safe abortion," said Rep. Berceau.

If the criminal abortion statute is not taken off the books, rape and incest victims could end up behind bars for choosing to terminate a pregnancy that resulted from an assault.

“It is unimaginable to think that a rape victim who chose to have an abortion after being brutally attacked could be thrown in jail under our current statute,” said Linda, a rape survivor who spoke at a news conference this morning.  “These women are your mothers, your sisters, your daughters, your friends. They are not, and should not, be treated as criminals.”

“To the individuals who are working to criminalize abortion in Wisconsin, I ask, how much time should she do? How much would you punish our mothers, sisters and daughters?” asked Berceau.

How Much Time Should She Do?
One group that’s refusing to answer that question is Wisconsin Right to Life.

Instead, they’re pursuing a duplicative and dangerous bill that’s an all-out assault on women’s health and safety in Wisconsin.  Although it is already federal law, Wisconsin Right to Life is introducing an identical abortion procedures ban, Assembly Bill 710, in the Wisconsin Legislature.

The Background on the Bill:

In 2003, the United States Congress passed and President Bush signed the Federal Abortion Ban, a law banning certain second trimester abortion procedures.  Last spring, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the law was constitutional—overturning 30 plus years of precedent requiring abortion restrictions to include an exception protecting women’s health.  This federal law is currently in effect in Wisconsin.  Three Wisconsin lawmakers are introducing AB 710, a bill that is identical to current federal law, prohibiting the same abortion procedures that are already illegal. 

This headline grabbing political stunt from Wisconsin Right to Life is no surprise given their track record of trying to pass laws that are already law in Wisconsin (Coercive Abortion Bill) as well as their extreme support of Wisconsin’s criminal abortion statute that throws physicians and women in jail for having abortions for most every reason. [1]

What’s wrong with the bill:

  • This is already law in Wisconsin and nationwide.
  • This bill is bad policy—it does not include any exceptions for a woman’s health.  A woman’s health should matter to Wisconsin politicians.
  • This bill reiterates that Wisconsin politicians do not believe doctors should be using their medical judgment to decide what medical procedure is safest for each individual patient’s health.
  • The banned procedures are often necessary to safeguard the health of pregnant women who suffer from severe health conditions like heart disease, bleeding disorders or extreme high blood pressure. 
  • This bill is an attempt by extremists to play politics with women’s health and lives.  The only lawmakers and groups supporting it are those who want to make all abortion illegal in Wisconsin.  These same people support Wisconsin’s current criminal abortion law that sends doctors and women to jail.
  • This bill will not prevent one abortion in the state of Wisconsin.  The only sure way to prevent abortions is to prevent unintended pregnancies.  The most effective way to prevent unintended pregnancies is to increase access to sex education and birth control services.
  • Wisconsin voters don’t support politicians interfering in medical decisions. In a May 2007 poll of 600 likely voters, 74% agreed that lawmakers should not be wasting time by banning procedures already illegal under federal law and that medical decisions about abortion should be made by women, their families and their doctors without interference from politicians.

“This bill sends the message that the state of Wisconsin believes politicians, not doctors, know what will best protect the health of a pregnant woman,” said PPAWI Executive Director Lisa Boyce. “We urge constituents to call their legislators to let them know that here in Wisconsin, we believe a woman’s health matters, and we expect lawmakers to focus their efforts on enhancing women’s access to prevention-based health care.”


Special Interest Groups Blocking the Best Way to Prevent Abortion
Studies show time and again that the best way to prevent abortion is enhancing women’s access to prevention-based information and health care services, but special interest groups like Pro-Life Wisconsin are blocking attempts to increase access to contraception, even for rape victims.

Read why that’s exactly the wrong approach, in this coverage from ABC News:

Why Abortions Are Down in America

Abortions are Down Across the Country -- but Why?

The conclusion of a sweeping new nationwide study released today that included interviews with every known abortion provider in the country is unambiguous. Abortions are decreasing.

The study, conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, which researches issues related to reproductive health and sexuality, found that in 2005, the U.S. abortion rate fell to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 to 44, the lowest level since 1974. The total number of abortions also declined, to a total of 1.2 million in 2005, well below the all-time high of 1.6 million abortions in 1990.

But the study raises a fascinating and tricky question: Why?

The researchers who conducted the study said they simply don't know, but they do have two theories.

One reason could be that since people now have easier access to contraception -- including emergency contraception like Plan B -- there are fewer unwanted pregnancies.

Read the entire story.

PPAWI is encouraging legislators to focus their efforts on increasing access to birth control, particularly during tomorrow’s final Assembly vote on Compassionate Care for Rape Victims, Assembly Bill 377.

To learn more about Compassionate Care and efforts to increase access to birth control, visit www.ppawi.org.

 

[1] In Wisconsin Right to Life’s  January 7, 2008 news release, they stated:  “When the day comes that Roe v. Wade is overturned, Wisconsin will be one of the first states in the nation to once again protect unborn babies from abortion-as long as s. 940.04 remains in the statutes.” 



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