(The Center Square) – Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin wants more than an end to the state’s 1849 abortion law.
Planned Parenthood on Thursday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to create a new state right to abortion.
“We are asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to answer the question: does the Wisconsin Constitution protect the right to right to bodily integrity, autonomy, and self-determination – including the decision of whether and when to have a child. Answering this question necessarily includes asking the Court if the Wisconsin Constitution protects access to abortion care and a healthcare provider’s right to provide this care,” said PPWI Chief Strategy Officer Michelle Velasquez.
The request comes just days after Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski asked the court to rule whether Wisconsin’s near total ban on abortions applies to abortions or not.
A Dane County judge ruled in December that Wisconsin’s pre-Roe law does not apply to “consensual abortions,” and instead only applies to cases of feticide.
Urmanski is the only Republican prosecutor in Wisconsin with an abortion clinic in his county. The other two clinics are in Dane and Milwaukee counties.
Planned Parenthood said Urmanski’s request is helping to drive their push for a right to abortion.
“Despite all the progress that has been made to resume abortion care since the overturning of Roe, the protections afforded under Wisconsin’s constitution remain unknown,” Planned Parenthood added in its statement. “Recognizing a state constitutional protection for abortion, rooted in bodily autonomy, will provide lawmakers with a constitutional framework, and ensure this fundamental right is protected. Just as important, Wisconsinites deserve the ability to make decisions about if or when they become a parent, a decision that shapes their future. And they deserve to know that this right is protected by our state constitution.”
Pro-life advocates in Wisconsin say in order for there to be a right to abortion, the Wisconsin Supreme Court must reject any and all rights for an unborn baby.
“A pre-born child is a unique individual human life, deserving of protection and the right to life,” Gracie Skogman, Legislative and PAC Director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said. “While Planned Parenthood is fighting for unrestricted abortion until the moment of birth, the pro-life movement is fighting for compassionate support and services for mothers and their pre-born children.”
