One Wisconsin Now Joins Progressives Across the Nation Standing Up for Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care for Women

MADISON, Wis. — Unprecedented threats to access to comprehensive reproductive care for women remain, despite a wave of recent electoral successes for progressives across the nation, including in Wisconsin. That’s why One Wisconsin Now has joined with fellow Progress Now affiliates in calling on the Democratic National Committee to continue to stand strong on protection of abortion rights.

“Progressives are winning elections across the country while remaining true to our values, like standing up for women’s access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion,” commented One Wisconsin Now Program Director Analiese Eicher. “Now is not the time to abandon our principles and values, while facing continuing, unprecedented threats, ”

In their letter to the DNC, the progressive leaders wrote:

“…we reject any efforts to weaken, undermine, or hedge on public and proud support for reproductive rights including the right to abortion access …”

They went on to write:

“Right-wing conservatives have made their intentions clear: a total ban on abortion and nothing less. That’s why Republicans continue to punish, shame and stigmatize women for their reproductive choices and to support laws that put women’s health at risk, limit access and create huge barriers for both providers and the people they serve, particularly low income women and women of color who have the least access to health care and abortion.”

“We must stand for a vision that speaks to fundamental values of autonomy, equity, liberty and self-determination and fight for an America where people can access the medical care they deserve based on their own judgment, including abortions.”

Eicher noted that Wisconsin is a prime example of where Republican politicians have sought to impose their judgement on women, and take away their ability to make their own medical decisions in consultation with their families and health care providers. Politicians like Scott Walker have cut funding for Planned Parenthood, leaving women without access to health care, attempted to reduce access to birth control and imposed unconstitutional restrictions on access to legal health care services like abortion.

She concluded, “There are real world repercussions if there is no longer a party that stands united for a vision of freedom and acts on our democratic values of autonomy, equity and self-determination. We must trust women and oppose conservative policies that put women’s health at risk, particularly low-income women and women of color.”

The full text of the letter signed by One Wisconsin Now and others can be found here.