Protect Roe v. Wade. Protect Reproductive Rights. Fight for keeping Abortion Legal.
My name is Emily Sullivan and I am a constituent from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I am urging you to support H. R. 3755, the Women's Health Protection Act. I am asking you to pass H. R. 3755 by any means possible, including ending the filibuster. With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Congress must codify pregnant people's right to bodily autonomy. I stand for protecting the right to safe and accessible abortion care. This is a matter of women's rights, human rights, and bodily autonomy. Congress must do everything it can to pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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August 12, 2022
SENT VIA E MAIL 2022-03763
Re: Your message regarding abortion
Dear Emily,
Thank you for reaching out to the Wisconsin Department of Justice regarding abortion rights. Attorney General Kaul is fighting to restore access to safe and legal abortion in Wisconsin and working to minimize the harm from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overruling Roe v. Wade.
Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban—which originated before the Civil War and at a time when women were denied the right to vote—would ban nearly all abortions in Wisconsin, including in cases of rape and incest. On June 28, 2022, four days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe, AG Kaul filed a lawsuit arguing that this archaic ban has not gone back into effect. The lawsuit argues that more contemporaneous Wisconsin legislation conflicts with and supersedes the criminal abortion ban and that the ban is therefore unenforceable. It also argues that the disuse of that ban has rendered it unenforceable under principles of fairness or reliance.
While the courts will ultimately determine whether Wisconsin’s 19th-century abortion ban is enforceable, AG Kaul has made it clear that he will not use Wisconsin Department of Justice resources to investigate or prosecute anyone for alleged violations of Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban. Enforcement of that ban would undermine reproductive freedom, endanger the health of women in Wisconsin, and divert resources that should go toward protecting public safety.
Access to safe and legal abortion could also be restored in Wisconsin through legislation. In January, Governor Evers and AG Kaul called on the Wisconsin State Legislature to repeal Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban, and in June, they again called for legislative action, with Governor Evers announcing a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature to take up a repeal of the ban. Rather than repeal the ban or even hold hearings, however, the Republican-led legislature gaveled in and gaveled out of the special session.
We encourage you to reach out to your state legislators to let them know your views on issues important to you. Thank you again for taking the time to reach out to us.
Sincerely,
DOJ Constituent Correspondence Team
Office of the Attorney General
Phone: (608) 266-1220 | P.O. Box 7857 | Madison, WI 53707-7857
www.doj.state.wi.us