Political Updates
Wisconsin Needs A Roe of Our Own Last year - for the first time ever - the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on a safe medical procedure. The Federal Abortion ban criminalizes abortions considered safest for some women with particular high-risk medical conditions, even when a woman's health is threatened. In a 5-4 decision, with President Bush's two new anti-choice Justices siding against women's health, the Court threw out years of precedent and declared that abortion bans can ignore women's health. The new anti-choice majority on the Court signals a dangerous shift that could undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade at any time. Wisconsin women can no longer depend on the Supreme Court to protect our right to a legal, safe abortion. We need a Roe of Our Own so that no matter what happens to Roe at the federal level, Wisconsin woman are protected. In 2008, we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the single most groundbreaking case concerning reproductive rights. The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that the fundamental right to privacy includes women's access to safe, legal abortion and that governmental interference with that right is subject to judicial scrutiny. Before the Roe decision, abortion was illegal in most states (including Wisconsin). Roe protects the fundamental right of women to decide whether and when to bear a child. The Supreme Court's 2007 decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban effectively reversed Supreme Court precedent and rolled back a key protection for women's health that has been guaranteed since Roe. The threat to Roe has never been greater. Abortion will immediately be illegal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has an antiquated abortion ban from the mid-1800's still on its books that carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail (and up to $50,000 in fines) for doctors who provide abortions and up to 3.5 years in jail (and up to $10,000 in fines) for women who have an abortion or attempt to perform an abortion on themselves. There is no exception for cases of rape or incest or pregnancies that risk the health of the woman. If Roe is overturned, Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban will immediately go back into effect, and abortion will once again become a crime in our state. The consequences will be dire. Wisconsin needs a Roe of Our Own to repeal Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban and ensure that no matter what happens to Roe v. Wade women in Wisconsin will be protected. 1 - Sign the Petition - Sign the Roe of Our Own petition and ask friends and family to sign too! Click here to go to our legislative action page. 3 - Order a Roe Postcard Kit - Tell 10 friends about the need for a Roe of Our Own and ask them to sign a postcard petition. Email volunteer@prochoicewisconsin.org with you name and address and we will send you a Roe Postcard Kit with instructions on how to collect postcard signatures and 10 postcards. Once you get the postcards signed you can return them to us with the envelope we provide and we will deliver them to the state legislature. Other Resources | 
