On Tuesday, April 1, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls to elect a Justice for Wisconsin's Supreme Court.
Elections matter when it comes to protecting a woman's right to choose. We need to elect a candidate who values privacy and the right for women to make decisions affecting their health care without interference from politicians.
Voting is exciting, but can sometimes be confusing - you may be wondering:
- Do I need to register to vote?
- How long do I have to live at my current residence before I can vote?
- I'm going to be out of town. Can I still vote?
- Where do I vote?
Find the answers to all of your election questions by visiting the Election Section of our website.
Your voice matters. Vote on April 1!
Yours in Choice,
Kelda Helen Roys
Executive Director
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin
In this Issue
- Compassionate Care to Be Signed Into Law
- How Much Time Should She Do?
- Host a House Party for Choice
- Talking About Choice
Compassionate Care to Be Signed Into Law
Governor Doyle will be signing the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill (AB 377) into law in the next couple of days! This is the first new pro-choice law in Wisconsin in over a decade! Emergency rooms statewide will be required to give rape victims access to and information about emergency contraception. Previously, only one-third of the hospitals in Wisconsin had a policy of dispensing emergency contraception without exception.
While this is a huge success, we must continue to fight for women who still do not have access to emergency contraception. As of September 2006, emergency contraception is available over the counter for women 18 and older, but some women have been left out of this expanded access.
Young women still have to visit a physician and receive a prescription for EC before visiting a pharmacy and receiving EC. Also, the requirement that women must present a government-issued ID to prove they are 18, means that undocumented women do not have the proper identification to ensure that they too can receive this type of contraception over the counter.
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin will continue the fight for expanded access to birth control by ensuring women have access to birth control at the pharmacy counter, pushing for funding for birth control for low-income women, and advocating for comprehensive sexuality education.
How Much Time Should She Do?
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation in partnership with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin recently launched a joint media campaign to educate the public about the threat of abortion once again becoming illegal in Wisconsin. The How Much Time Should She Do? campaign features radio and online ads targeting legislators who support Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Statute.
If abortion is outlawed, women and their doctors could face criminal charges in Wisconsin - regardless of the circumstances. Recently 54 Assembly representatives rejected efforts to clarify the conflict in our current Criminal Abortion Statute to ensure rape victims are not threatened with prison time.
The media campaign poses the question to these anti-choice legislators: If abortion becomes a crime again in Wisconsin, how much prison time should women serve for having one?
Click here to listen to one of the radio ads.
Take action! Sign the Roe of Our Own petition to ensure that no matter what happens to Roe v. Wade the right to choose will be protected in Wisconsin.
Host a House Party for Choice
Hosting a house party for choice is a fun and easy way to make a difference financially and energize people. Throw a house party or ask a local restaurant or bar to host a gathering. NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin will provide materials, support, and even a guest speaker to ensure a successful event! Contact Kate at Kate@prochoicewisconsin.org for more information.
Talking about Choice
Learn how to articulate your pro-choice values. In each newsletter, we will present a typical anti-choice myth, and show you how to effectively respond with the pro-choice facts!
Anti-choice statement: I'm Catholic so I'm against abortion. Being pro-choice is anti-Catholic.
Pro-choice response: Many Catholics are pro-choice, believing that it is wrong for the government to impose a particular religious view on all women. Moreover, many Catholics disagree with the official policies of the Church on abortion, contraception, and other reproductive health issues. It is interesting to note that Catholic women are as likely as women of other religions to use birth control pills or have an abortion.
