Outlawing All Abortion and Banning Birth Control: The Radical Agenda of State Legislators Pushing Dangerous New Restrictions on Women’s Health Care

MADISON, Wis. — Legislators sponsoring new abortion restrictions would go much farther in taking away women’s health care, based on their ratings as 100 percent in agreement with a far right-wing organization. Research by One Wisconsin Now reveals twenty four current Republican legislators have endorsed the agenda of Pro-Life Wisconsin that includes banning all abortions, even to save the life of the woman or in cases of rape and incest, and outlawing most forms of birth control.

“Make no mistake, the ultimate goal of legislators sponsoring new restrictions on abortion is to take health care away from women,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Analiese Eicher. “They are 100 percent in agreement with a radical agenda of outlawing all abortion and banning birth control in Wisconsin.“

The two dozen current legislators sponsoring new abortion regulations who were rated 100 percent by the radical right-wing Pro-Life Wisconsin in either the 2014, 2016 or 2018 were: Senators Jacque, Lemahieu, Stroebel and Craig; and Representatives Sortwell, Tusler, Hutton, Sanfelippo, Brandtjen, Tittl, Katsma, Vorpagel, Born, Ballweg, Magnafici, Dittrich, Thiesfeldt, Schraa, Murphy, Gundrum, Ramthun, Brooks, Kulp and Krug.  

As a condition of receiving the group’s endorsement for their campaigns one must be “100 percent” in agreement with their agenda. The group lobbies for a radical rewrite of the Wisconsin State Constitution. If adopted their amendment would have the effect of outlawing almost all forms of birth control, ban all abortions including for victims of rape and when the mother’s life is endangered. Analyses of similar efforts in other states suggest the changes would likely ban in vitro fertilization, stem cell research and could even result in police investigations of miscarriages.

In addition, the group has endorsed Rep. Chuck Wichgers who in 2018 invited his colleagues to join him at a meeting in the State Capitol sponsored by an organization that believes elected officials should defy federal courts to ban all abortions and women who get abortions should be subject to capital punishment.

Eicher concluded, “Getting elected to the legislature doesn’t give you the right to make the most personal of health care decisions for Wisconsin women and families.”