Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

Nearly all abortions are now illegal in Wisconsin.

The U.S. Supreme Court released a decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade. The landmark case made abortion a constitutional right within the first two trimesters of a pregnancy — when a fetus is unable to survive outside the womb. Now the legality of the health care procedure is up to states.

In Wisconsin, the state’s 173-year-old abortion ban is once again the law of the land, making the procedure illegal unless deemed medically necessary to save the pregnant person’s life. Providing an abortion is now a felony punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

After a draft opinion indicating the court was poised to overturn Roe was leaked, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said he would not enforce the state law. Still, local law enforcement officials could choose to do so.

Gov. Tony Evers attempted to repeal the state’s abortion ban prior to the SCOTUS decision. But Republican lawmakers rejected the special session Wednesday, gaveling in and out within seconds.

In a statement after the session, Evers said “Republicans balked, leaving women and families across the state behind.”

A reproductive health researcher in Wisconsin previously told Wisconsin Public Radio that getting an abortion in Wisconsin is more difficult than in other states because of state laws, including a 24-hour waiting period and a high-profile law former Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed banning all non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.

In anticipation of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced earlier this month it was not scheduling abortion procedures in the state beyond Friday. The organization has also begun shifting services and staff across state lines to where abortions would still be legal.

In a national Marquette Law School poll in May, two thirds of adults polled said abortion should be legal in at least most cases. In a Marquette Law School poll this month that surveyed just Wisconsin residents, 58 percent of respondents said they are “very concerned” about abortion policy. The June poll also shows 31 percent said abortion should be legal in most cases, 27 percent legal in all cases and 24 percent illegal in most cases.

Editor’s note: WPR’s Jenny Peek, Andrea Anderson and whoever else contributed reporting to this story.

SCOTUS strikes down Roe v. Wade making nearly all abortions illegal in Wisconsin was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.