'Absolutely Unconscionable': WI Officials React To End Of Roe

WISCONSIN — The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, stripping federal reproductive protections and turning abortion laws to the states. In Wisconsin, policymakers, advocates and government agencies gave a wide range of reactions.

The 6-3 decision Friday was authored by Justice Samuel Alito, and the court released it more than a month after a draft of the opinion leaked. The Court's three liberal justices dissented and Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the majority.

In Wisconsin, an abortion ban passed in 1849 would make it a felony for people to get abortions except to save the life of the mother. There are no exceptions for rape and incest.

See Also: Roe V. Wade Overturned: What It Means In Wisconsin

Dems Promise To Keep Fighting, Republicans Applaud Court Decision

U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, a Democrat from Milwaukee, said it was time to "fight like hell" for reproductive rights.

"I am familiar with the panic and fear that young women feel right now," Moore said in a statement. "I grew up in a time when women were forced to carry unhealthy pregnancies or seek dangerous backdoor abortions."

"More than 60 percent of Americans agree that Roe should be upheld. Today's decision from (the Supreme Court) is an attack of women's bodies and reproductive freedom," Moore added. "Abortion is healthcare, and I'm ready to fight like hell to defend it."

Gov. Tony Evers, also a Democrat, called the decision "unfathomably grim" after it upended a right to abortion Wisconsin residents and Americans relied upon for 50 years, the governor's office said in a statement.

"This is an absolutely disastrous and unconscionable decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the consequences of which I hoped to never see again in my lifetime," Evers said. "I know many across our state and nation are scared—worried about their own health and about the health and safety of their family members, friends, and neighbors, who could very soon see the ability to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions stripped from them."

Evers said he would continue to fight to ensure reproductive rights for Wisconsinites, but urged people protesting to do so peacefully. "Our work to do the right thing for the people of this state must continue," he added.

The court's decision was a "victory for unborn babies," Republican gubernatorial candidate and former lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch announced.

"One day, we will all look back on Roe v. Wade as one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most egregious cases that allowed the killing of more than 60 million babies over nearly half a century," she added.

Tom Michels, a Trump-endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate, said it was important to "work on winning hearts and minds" of pro-choice advocates.

"The pro-life movement does not end with today’s victory," he added. "In fact, it’s vital that we grow stronger."

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, also a Republican, applauded the court's decision: "Today is a victory for life and those who have fought for decades to protect the unborn," Johnson said.

"For almost 50 years the decision of nine unelected Justices prevented a democratically derived consensus on the profound moral issue of abortion," he added. "Now the debate can be returned to states."

See Also: Roe V. Wade Overturned: Abortion Rights Left To States To Decide

Republicans have taken Wisconsin women back to 1849 and women will now have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers have had for decades, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement.

"An activist majority of the Supreme Court has overturned Roe and nearly 50 years of precedent, taking away the constitutional rights of American women to make their own personal choices about their body, their health, and their family," Baldwin added.

Sarah Godlewski, who served as the Wisconsin State Treasurer and is running for U.S. Senate called the dismissal an "all-hands-on-deck moment."

"The Supreme Court overturned a right that has been protected for nearly 50 years. It's an attack on all of our freedoms. But we are the majority—and we're not backing down without a fight," she added.

Planned Parenthood Of Wisconsin Suspends Abortions, Kaul Says He Won't Prosecute

Because Wisconsin's 173-year-old abortion ban remains intact, the Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin was forced to suspend abortion services, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin President Tanya Atkinson said in a video.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has taken away our constitutional right to abortion and our right to make our private personal healthcare decisions, and instead has given those decisions to politicians," Atkinson said.

Wisconsin Republicans gaveled out of a special session called by the governor to end the state's abortion ban on Thursday, "even though the vast majority of Wisconsinites believe abortion needs to stay safe and legal," Atkinson said in the video.

"Today, our daughters have less rights than their mothers and less rights than their grandmothers. This is absolutely unconscionable," Atkinson added. "People should be able to make their own healthcare decisions — this should not be political."

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin would look at its legal options and help people navigate to other states where abortion is safe and legal, and help people with aftercare following treatment.

Wisconsin's Top Cop Said He Wouldn't Enforce 1849 Law

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he wouldn't enforce the state's abortion ban, Spectrum News 1 reported.

Under the law, people who get abortions would be charged with a Class H Felony, which can be punished with a $10,000 fine and six years in prison.

“We must now turn to Congress, state courts, and state legislatures," Kaul said in a statement. "Our office is reviewing today’s decision and will be providing further information about how we intend to move forward next week. We are at a crossroads for the future of reproductive freedom, and we need elected officials to step up and protect access to safe and legal abortion."

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