Wisconsin’s Senators react to overturning of Roe V. Wade

(WSAW) - Wisconsin senators, Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican Senator Ron Johnson issued statements Friday morning regarding U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down the Roe v. Wade decision.

Senator Baldwin’s statement:

“An activist majority of the Supreme Court has overturned Roe and nearly 50 years of precedent, taking away the constitutional rights of American women to make their own personal choices about their body, their health, and their family. Republicans have taken Wisconsin women back to 1849 and it is Republicans who want to keep us there with support for having politicians interfere in the freedoms of women who will now have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers have had for decades. I ask people to join this fight with their voices and their votes because we will not be taken back, we will move forward.”

Wisconsin has an 1849 law that bans abortion, except to save the life of the mother, but whether that law is enforceable was expected to be the center of yet-to-be-filed lawsuits.

Senator Johnson’s statement:

“Today is a victory for life and for those who have fought for decades to protect the unborn. For almost fifty years the decision of nine unelected Justices have prevented a democratically derived consensus on the profound moral issue of abortion to be formed. This decision will now allow that democratic process to unfold in each state to determine at what point does society have the responsibility to protect life. Hopefully, the debate will be conducted with sincerity, compassion, and respect for the broad range of views that people hold.”

On Wednesday, Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature refused to overturn the state’s ban as Evers called on them to do. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos supports an exception for rape and incest, but the state ban only provides one for the life of the mother.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.