Conservative lawmakers in Wisconsin are aiming to enact a stricter anti-abortion law that experts warn will incapacitate Black and other marginalized communities.
Jon McCray Jones, policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin, told theGrio that it is a “human right” for women to have access to abortion care.
“Politicians need to stay out of the uteruses of Wisconsinites,” said Jones.
Analiese Eicher, director of communications with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, told theGrio that Republicans in Wisconsin “have been looking for every opportunity to ban abortion in our state.”
“This is just their latest attempt to ban abortion and restrict reproductive healthcare,” she said.
Last week, the Wisconsin State Assembly — which is controlled by state Republicans — approved 2023 Assembly Bill 975, a measure that would bar a woman or pregnant person from getting an abortion at 14 weeks.
Jones of the ACLU said the bill would further exacerbate the challenges many women in marginalized communities are currently facing.
“1 in 5 patients are now traveling out of state for abortion care,” while some lack the resources to do so, he explained.
Jones also said Wisconsin is beginning to experience “healthcare deserts” because “many young people who are graduating from residency are opting to go into states that have linear abortion laws.”
Eicher of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin said that, currently, marginalized communities are facing obstacles in the state when it comes to accessing both general and reproductive health care.
She added that if this bill were to take effect, it would “further jeopardize the health and well-being of Black and brown folks in Wisconsin.”
For the controversial anti-abortion bill to pass, the Wisconsin State Senate has to advance it. If approved, voters would have an opportunity to weigh in on whether the ban should be…
Read the full article here
