Wisconsin Republicans Introduce Bill Banning Abortion After 14 Weeks

Monday, January 22nd, 2024 -- 11:01 AM

(Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) Abortions in Wisconsin would be banned after 14 weeks under a bill introduced by Republican state lawmakers Friday.

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, the legislation would not go into effect without the support of voters via an April referendum. It would also require support from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has promised a veto. Current law bars abortions after 20 weeks.

Under the GOP bill, that window would shrink by six weeks unless the mother is at risk of dying or incurring irreversible injuries. Republicans in Wisconsin and across the nation have been grappling with how to navigate the abortion issue ever since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which provided federal abortion protections.

The June 2022 decision from the nation’s highest court pushed abortion regulations back to the states. In Wisconsin, abortions essentially ceased until late 2023 when a Dane County judge ruled a state law enacted in 1849 bans feticide and not consensual abortions.

Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski is planning to appeal that ruling to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 liberal majority. According to online court records, that appeal has not yet been filed.

Still, state law bans abortions 20 weeks after “postfertilization,” or 22 weeks after the last menstrual period. The Republican bill, introduced Friday, would bar abortion procedures 14 weeks after “postfertilization.”

Before the legislation would go into effect, voters would have to support the measure in a statewide referendum, which would be scheduled in April. Gov. Evers said in December that he would veto the bill and any other “that makes reproductive healthcare any less accessible for Wisconsinites than it is right now.” 

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