South Dakota Bans Abortion, Challenges Roe v. Wade Directly
Wisconsin’s pre-Roe Felony Abortion Ban Could Become Active Once More
Madison, WI—Today, Kelda Helen Roys, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Mike Rounds of South Dakota signing a criminal ban on abortion into law.
“South Dakota’s sweeping abortion ban is an egregious, but not unsurprising, attack on women’s health. With the elevation of two anti-choice Bush appointees to the Supreme Court, many anti-choice activists believe Roe v. Wade will soon be overturned or eviscerated. This ban contains no exception for women with health- and life-threatening pregnancies.
“Wisconsinites may wonder: are we next? Given the continuous assault on birth control and other reproductive health services by Republican legislators, it is a fair question. Yet Wisconsin already has a statute that makes it a felony to have or assist a woman in having an abortion. When Roe was decided in 1973, Wisconsin’s ban became unenforceable. If the new Supreme Court rolls back the protections of Roe, however, Wisconsin prosecutors could start jailing women and doctors immediately.
“Now is the time for Wisconsinites to make their voices heard – we must demand that anti-choice legislators work with pro-choice leaders to make abortion less necessary, rather than more difficult and dangerous. We must let them know that we need access to preventative health care, like birth control, not biased propaganda and political grandstanding. Wisconsinites cannot afford to sit by while our privacy and freedoms are eroded.”
Background on Abortion Bans
Wisconsin is one of four states with a pre-Roe ban still on the books, and 11 states besides South Dakota are considering similar bans (Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia). Anti-choice legislators backing these bans have said their intent is to end the right to choose through the courts.
South Dakota’s criminal ban (HB 1215) outlaws abortion in almost all cases and does not protect a woman when her health is in danger or even in cases of rape or incest. Doctors who violate the ban could face up to five years in prison.
Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban (Wis. Stat. § 940.04) makes it a felony to terminate a pregnancy or assist a woman in doing so. Without the protections of Roe v. Wade, even rape victims and their doctors could be fined and even imprisoned for having an abortion.
Contact: Kelda Helen Roys, (608) 213-4502
###
| 
