Abortion Bans
Abortion bans use vague language to ban safe and common procedures and many times do not include an exception if the life or health of the woman is at risk or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Federal Abortion Ban
On April 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Federal Abortion Ban - a decision that takes away basic protections for women's health that have been guaranteed since the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. This law was passed in 2003 by an anti-choice Congress and then upheld by a Supreme Court reshaped with anti-choice Justices appointed by President Bush.
• The ban offers no health exception for women, a drastic departure from the Courts previous rulings.
• Doctors who are acting in the best interest of their patients could face up to two years in prison.
• This decision opens the door for anti-choice politicians in the states and in Congress to further interfere in our personal, private medical decisions. Roe v. Wade The landmark Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, which protects a woman’s constitutional right to choose a safe, legal abortion, is at risk of being overturned or seriously restricted. If this happens, the legality of abortion would return to the individual states. Wisconsin is at high risk of banning abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The Criminal Abortion Ban has been unenforceable since Roe v. Wade, but could be enforced again if Roe is overturned. There is no recognized right to privacy or abortion in Wisconsin state law or constitution. Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban
Wisconsin has an abortion ban that is currently unconstitutional and unenforceable but will immediately come into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. This means abortion will immediately become illegal in Wisconsin and woman will have to travel to neighboring states to receive abortion care. Wisconsin's abortion ban is one of the worst in the country because it does not have an exception if the health of the woman is at risk or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The ban also is worse than others because it provides a penalty of up to three and half years imprisonment for any woman who consents to an abortion or performs an abortion upon herself. Number of Women in Wisconsin Who Seek Abortions
According to studies done by the Guttmacher Institute, 96,890 of the 1,159,084 women of reproductive age (15-44) in Wisconsin became pregnant in 2000. 72% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 13% in induced abortions. In 2000, 11,130 women obtained abortions in Wisconsin, producing a rate of 9.6 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some Wisconsin residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. Abortions in Wisconsin represent 0.8 of all abortions in the United States. If the Wisconsin Criminal Abortion Ban comes into effect, over 11,000 women each year would have to seek abortions in other states or risk 3.5 years in jail. General Information About Abortion Bans
Abortion ban legislation does not outlaw only one procedure. - Due to the vague language used in this type of legislation, many bans can outlaw more than one procedure or procedures that are used as early as the second trimester. Abortion bans are not "late term" bans. - Because abortion bans lacks any mention of fetal viability, they can ban abortions throughout pregnancy. Abortion bans make abortion less safe for women. - By outlawing abortion procedures, legislators force doctors to use procedures that may be less safe for women than the outlawed procedure. Bans that don't have an exception for the health of the woman put the woman's life at risk. Abortion bans are not supported by the public. - Three states (Washington state, Colorado, and Maine) have considered these bans by referendum. All three failed. Abortion bans are not supported by the medical community. - Contrary to anti-choice claims, the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Women's Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association oppose these bans. Private medical decisions should not be made by politicians. - Women and their families should make decisions in consultation with their doctors. Lawmakers can help women more by focusing on policies that prevent unintended pregnancy. - Instead of making abortions more difficult and dangerous for women, the government should focus on policies that reduce the need for abortions.
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