Congressmen Steil, Van Orden, and Tiffany continue to stand in the way of essential care for Wisconsinites as 1849 criminal ban prevents abortion access with few exceptions
Friday, June 23, 2023
MADISON, Wis. – As we approach the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade tomorrow, Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress have refused to work to restore access to essential reproductive health care services as the state’s 1849 criminal abortion ban has virtually eliminated access in the state.
“Wisconsinites should have the freedom to choose when they want to start a family, but Republicans like Congressmen Bryan Steil, Derrick Van Orden, and Tom Tiffany have refused to protect access to essential reproductive care, leaving Wisconsin women without that freedom,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “Their refusal to protect abortion access at the federal level has left Wisconsin’s archaic 1849 abortion ban on the books, leaving Wisconsinites without the care they need and threatening doctors and nurses with jail time just for doing their job.”
In addition to making care unavailable to Wisconsinites, the state’s 1849 abortion ban is likely to exacerbate the state’s OB-GYN shortage as residency programs report a decline in enrollment due to the inability of residents to receive training in-state. That could lead to fewer appointments and higher health care costs for Wisconsinites for basic reproductive health care. Additional research shows that women who are denied access to abortion have higher rates of poverty and economic distress than those who have the freedom to decide when to start a family.
Since the state’s abortion ban – the oldest in the nation – went into effect last year, Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress have continued to stand in opposition to reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade. Last year, Congressmen Steil and Tiffany voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have guaranteed abortion access and reproductive freedom at the federal level. Congressman Van Orden has also been outspoken against abortion access, even comparing abortion to genocide and voting for a bill that takes away families’ freedom to make their own medical decisions and threatens to put doctors in prison.
“It’s time for Wisconsin’s members of Congress to do the right thing to protect reproductive freedom for Wisconsin families. Everyone in our state should have the right to make these deeply personal decisions and decide what’s best for them, without interference from politicians,” added Roh.
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