Derrick Van Orden Cheered on Abortion Restrictions
MADISON, Wis. — Women in Wisconsin have not forgotten how following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, they were immediately subjected to an 1849 abortion ban — a decision Derrick Van Orden emphatically cheered. This ban forced many Wisconsinites to cross state lines just to access basic healthcare, causing an overwhelming burden on families and individuals living paycheck to paycheck. The new, looming bans on the transport of the abortion pill mifepristone – which Wisconsin women still rely on out of state doctors to receive – threatens further restrictions on Wisconsin women’s ability to access reproductive healthcare.
In Van Orden’s own 3rd congressional district, at least 100 women were forced out of state in just the first year following the loss of federal protections for abortion. Statewide, Wisconsin women made up more than 60% of Minnesota’s out-of-state abortion patients — a direct consequence of the extremist agenda Van Orden continues to champion..
“If there is one issue Derrick Van Orden has not flip-flopped on, it is his extreme opposition to reproductive freedom. Derrick Van Orden once compared abortion to genocide and even went so far as to claim exceptions for rape and incest were evil,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Rachel La Due. “As the Trump administration finds every opportunity to limit access to abortion, Van Orden will jump at any chance he can to gladly abandon the women in his district and join the administration hand-in-hand in an effort to further restrict their healthcare options.”
Here’s a Reminder of Derrick Van Orden’s Extreme Position on Abortion:
- Van Orden previously called rape and incest exceptions “evil.”
- Van Orden said the number of abortions performed in the U.S. amounts to “genocide.”
- Van Orden said that he is “ardently pro-life,” called for women to “have enough strength of character” to give birth, and opposed rape and incest exceptions during a radio interview with WSAU Feedback in 2020.
- “You can’t heal that evil [sexual assault] by adding more on it,” Van Orden said.
- Derrick Van Orden said he is “unreservedly, unabashedly, and proudly pro life” and opposes abortion because “life begins at conception.”
- Derrick Van Orden was endorsed by leading anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life.
- Derrick Van Orden called for Wisconsin lawmakers to enact a 15-week abortion ban.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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