Repeal Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Law

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Repeal Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Law

Did you know...Wisconsin is worse than South Dakota? Wisconsin law 940.04 is still on the books and makes abortion a felony in our state. Unbelievably, Wisconsin's law criminalizing abortion is WORSE than South Dakota's because of its harsher penalties and implications for women! Differences between the state laws

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Repeal Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Statute

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to co-sponsor and support AB 1144 to repeal Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute. Safe, legal abortion and Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and has been for more than three decades. Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute (940.04) is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. This outdated and unsafe statute violates the fundamental right to privacy and the right of women to make their own health care decisions.

All women, in every state, should be making their own private, personal health care decisions in conjunction with their families and doctors, without government interference. Should statute 940.04 take affect again, any physician providing safe abortion services could be charged with a felony and imprisoned for up to 15 years. Women who obtain an abortion could also be charged with a felony and put in prison. There is no exception to these penalties even in the direst of circumstances, such as for victims of rape or incest or to protect women's health.

Criminal abortion laws do not prevent abortions. Rather, women risk their lives and health to obtain dangerous, illegal abortions. Prior to Roe v. Wade, the number of illegal abortions per year was estimated to be between 200,000 and 1.2 million. Since 1973 and the availability of safe, legal abortions, death rates from abortion have plummeted and are now a rarity instead of the norm. But in countries around the world where abortion continues to be illegal, maternal death rates from unsafe abortion remain high. The World Health Organization estimates that 13% of all maternal deaths are caused by illegal abortions.

Wisconsin statute 940.04 is far outside the mainstream of America and disregards the health and safety of women. It's time to repeal this outdated, unsafe, unenforceable statute.

Please co-sponsor and support AB 1144 to repeal Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 08, 2006

Background Information

Write a Letter to the Editor
Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper supporting the right to choose! Sample letters and a list of papers are on our on-line letter-to-the-editor tool: http://www.ppwi.org/lte

Wisconsin Statute 940.04
Passed in 1849 and became unenforceable with the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

Criminal Penalties for Abortion
Any physician performing an abortion can be charged with a felony, fined up to $50,000 and imprisoned for up to 15 years. Any woman who obtains an abortion can be charged with a felony, fined up to $10,000 and imprisoned for up to 3.5 years. There is no exception to these penalties in the statute for victims of rape or incest or to protect women's health.

Roe v Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, protecting a woman's personal decision to terminate her pregnancy, is the only thing preventing the enforcement of the Wisconsin criminal abortion statute. If the Supreme Court backs away from the protections in Roe, Wisconsin's criminal abortion statute will immediately go into effect.

U.S. Supreme Court
With the new composition of the Supreme Court and the potential for the Court to re-visit Roe v. Wade in the near future, there is no guarantee the federal constitutional protections will continue to be law of the land.

Criminal Abortion Laws
When abortion is criminalized it does not go away. Rather, women risk their lives and health to obtain dangerous, illegal abortions. Prior to Roe v. Wade, the number of illegal abortions per year was estimated to be between 200,000 and 1.2 million. Since 1973 and the availability of safe, legal abortions, death rates from abortion have plummeted and are now a rarity instead of the norm.

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