$10,000 Lawsuit Rewards Against Abortion Care Providers Under WI Bill Proposal

WISCONSIN — Abortion care providers would be prohibited from ending pregnancies as soon as a "fetal heartbeat" is detected under a Republican-authored bill headed to the state senate.

Lawmakers modeled the legislation after a Texas abortion ban signed into law in September 2021, state senator and bill author Julian Bradley (R-Franklin) said in a statement.

Like the Texas law, the state would require abortion care providers to pay at least $10,000 in damages to any private citizen that brings a successful lawsuit against them under the proposed Wisconsin bill.

The anti-abortion law that passed in Texas conflicted with a U.S. Supreme Court decision to prevent states from outlawing women and doctors from obtaining or performing an abortion early in pregnancy, The Associated Press reported.

Providers wouldn't be able to perform an abortion as soon as a "detectable fetal heartbeat" is felt, usually within the first six weeks of pregnancy, according to bill text. There are no exceptions for rape or incest in the bill.

The only exception offered is under "medical emergency," which the bill said is a condition that threatens the woman's life or permanently impairs bodily functions.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, which is lobbying against the bill, called the $10,000 reward for people to sue those who provide abortion care a "bounty."

The "fetal heartbeat" felt within six weeks is actually electrical activity made by an ultrasound machine during screenings, OB-GYN Dr. Nisha Verma told NPR.

"Despite the tragedy that continues to unfold every day in Texas impacting the lives of women
and their families, Republicans are doing everything they can deny people the health care they
need," Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Mike Murray said. "This is not the future that women in Wisconsin deserve."

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is not expected to sign the bill if it passes through legislature.

The Senate Committee on Government Operations, Legal Review and Consumer Protection passed the bill 3-2 on Friday, legislative records showed. The state senate will hold a session on Tuesday.