Late-term abortions are on the chopping block as Wisconsin Republicans introduce legislation to put limits on the anti-life procedure.
This week, state Republicans called for a statewide referendum to decide on a 14-week abortion ban, asking voters to approve the policy through a ballot measure during April's election. The bill is being fast-tracked through the Legislature, with a public hearing scheduled for Monday.
However, Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) has already said he would veto the bill if passed— even before it's put on the ballot.
On the contrary, Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Wisc.) said the measure is a reasonable approach to finding a consensus on the controversial issue that sways voters.
"Out of an abundance of respect for how sensitive this issue is, we would like to hear directly from the voters whether they agree that this is what they want the law to be - striking a balance between protecting life and showing compassion and respect for women who find themselves in difficult situations," Felzkowski said.
Currently, Wisconsin bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
"The bottom line for me is this: Wisconsinites should be able to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians who don't know anything about their lives, their family, or their circumstances. And I'll veto any bill that makes reproductive healthcare any less accessible for Wisconsinites than it is right now," Evers said in a statement in December.
Last year, a Dane County Circuit judge ruled that a decades-old Wisconsin law does not prohibit abortions, cleaning the state bans feticide but not "consensual medical abortions." A Republican district attorney appealed the ruling from Dane County Circuit in December, in which state Rep. Amanda Nedweski predicted that the appeal would fail in the liberal state Supreme Court.
Abortion has become the central issue in political races in Wisconsin. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos— who co-sponsored the bill— said he wants voters to decide on abortion rules rather than the courts.
"I'd like to put something on the ballot in April that allows the people of Wisconsin to be the ones who get the final say on deciding on abortion. So it's not the court. It's not the Legislature. It's not the governor. It's going to be the people who get the final choice," he said.