Iowa abortion restrictions struck down while Wisconsin’s remain

MADISON — In the neighboring state of Iowa, the state Supreme Court today found unconstitutional a law mandating 72-hour waiting periods in order to receive an abortion.

Wisconsin has many anti-choice laws in the books, most of which severely limit a woman’s right to obtain an abortion, even in cases of medical emergency. The following restrictions on abortion are currently in effect in Wisconsin:

• Women must undergo a 24-hour waiting period before receiving an abortion. As there are only three medical facilities in Wisconsin that provide abortion services, many women have to travel far to undergo the procedure and arrange childcare, time off work, and pay overnight expenses if they want to terminate their pregnancy.
• Women must receive state-directed “counseling” designed to scare women out of receiving what is an overwhelmingly safe medical procedure.
• Insurance policies for public employees as well as plans under Wisconsin’s public health exchange under the ACA only cover abortion in extreme cases where a woman’s life is at risk or in cases of rape and incest.
• Women must undergo an invasive, non-medically necessary ultrasound before obtaining an abortion. Medical professionals must then show the patient the image, a move designed to further intimidate and shame women out of receiving care.
• Scott Walker signed into law one of the most extreme abortion laws in the nation — a 20-week ban that contains zero exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

“Under Republican control, Wisconsin has become a state hostile to women’s reproductive freedom,” said Courtney Beyer, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson. “The right to decide when to begin a family is a sacred and personal one that shouldn’t be obstructed by Republican lawmakers. That’s why in November we need to elect a governor and leaders up and down the ballot who respect women’s right to make their own medical decisions.”

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