The leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade and severely curtail a woman’s right to choose drew a crowd Tuesday evening, as at least a thousand protestors marched from the Wisconsin State Capitol to Library Mall in support of abortion rights.
WORT reporter Zoe Sullivan was there to talk to some of the participants, and capture the mood, and WORT reporter Catherine Garvens has this report.
Wisconsin is one of nearly two dozen states with laws on the books that can be used to restrict legal abortion should Roe fall. In nine states, including Wisconsin, pre-Roe abortion bans would come into effect. Thirteen states have post-Roe laws to almost entirely ban abortions if Roe is struck down. And only about 16 states and the District of Columbia have laws that protect the right to abortion.
Should Roe fall, Wisconsin’s legal landscape would fall to a vague 1849 law that would consider abortion providers guilty of a felony, except in cases to “save the life of the mother.” On Wednesday, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul signaled that his department would not enforce the law on the books. Meanwhile, various laws restricting specific aspects of abortion have hit the books in the years after Roe.
Protest organizers say another protest is scheduled for this Saturday, May 7th, at 3pm at the State Capitol, this time organized by MADSA Socialist Feminist Working Group.
Photo courtesy Heidi Wegehaupt. Thanks to Zoe Sullivan for gathering the audio for this report.