MADISON, Wis. – Today, just one week before Wisconsin’s spring election, Wisconsin physicians, patients, and lawmakers spoke at a virtual roundtable to discuss what’s at stake for abortion rights in the Badger State. The event also marked the 177th anniversary of an 1800s law that Wisconsin Republicans have tried to enforce as an abortion ban.
While the progressive majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court recently ruled that the 1849 statute is not enforceable as an abortion ban, right-wing judge Maria Lazar has said she doesn’t know if she would have been in the majority on that case, and has also described the overturning of Roe v. Wade as, “very wise.”
Co-hosted by A Better Wisconsin Together, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, Committee to Protect Healthcare, and Americans for Contraception, see below for a selection of speaker excerpts from today’s roundtable:
State Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) on why next week’s election is critical for reproductive healthcare: “The right to abortion, the right to access contraception is on the line. The only reason that abortion is currently accessible in the state is because our current [state] Supreme Court provided clarity around our state law, and that the 1849 ban is not currently enforceable. However, there’s a genuine concern, and a legitimate concern, that a different court could rule differently at some point in the future.
“Until we enshrine these rights in statute, we are counting on our state Supreme Court to be the last line of defense.”
State Senator Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee), on the state of abortion access in Wisconsin and why it matters: “In the state of Wisconsin, it’s very clear that we are not where we need to be when it comes to providing quality reproductive health care.
“Doctors and … Advanced Nurse Practitioners should be able to offer health care, including abortion care, without the fear of criminal prosecution or punishment. All healthcare decisions should be made between the patients and their providers.”
Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an OB/GYN based in Green Bay, on how anti-abortion laws impact care and the importance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court: “For me as an OB/GYN, this ban prevented me and my colleagues from doing our jobs … For some of us who stood up for our patients, who stood up for our colleagues in opposing this ban, we faced threats and harassment and some of us moved our practices outside of the state.
“Wisconsin is suffering a doctor shortage, it’s profound in some rural areas, and doctors have left the state because of this. We went to states where we could take care of our patients without the fear of going to jail for practicing common standard medicine.
“It matters who sits on our state Supreme Court. It matters that the justices on that court value a woman’s health, life, and freedom.”
Dr. Abigail La Nou, an emergency physician in Eau Claire, on how elections can impact patient care: “I think we’ve all seen in the last few years how much elections matter as far as access to care … Maria Lazar has been backed by groups that are not only anti-abortion but anti-contraception.
“If a physician has to hesitate when they’re treating someone in an emergency, any delays in care can cost the patient their life, their fertility, and lead to worse outcomes … when there’s uncertainty in how to treat these patients, things will get worse.”
