It Is Time Wisconsin Changes its Abortion Rights [EDITORIAL]

Abortion rights have been a hot topic in the United States recently with the Supreme Court revisiting the Roe v. Wade decision, the case that makes abortion legal across every state. On June 25, 2022, the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion rights up to the states. This has resulted in many states banning abortion with a few exceptions, like to save the mother’s life.

Wisconsin is one of those states. Wisconsin’s abortion rights currently fall under Wisconsin State Statute 940.04 which was passed in 1849. This law states that women cannot choose to have an abortion unless it is to save the mother’s life. If a woman does choose to have an abortion under the 1849 law, the doctor that performed the abortion can both be prosecuted and receive jail time and a fine.

We here at Media Milwaukee believe that it is time for Wisconsin to change their abortion laws. Under Roe v. Wade, Wisconsin made new laws that allowed abortion while keeping the child’s life in mind. We believe that abortion rights should be changed, and women should have the rights to get an abortion as they have a right to their own bodies.

In 1985, Wisconsin passed legislation that allowed abortion under a few conditions. Abortion was allowed before the fetus was deemed viable, if the woman was pregnant due to rape or incest, if the woman agreed to attend mandatory counseling after the procedure, if the woman’s life was in danger or there was a medical emergency with the fetus, and the woman had to get an ultrasound before the procedure. Also under this law, abortion was banned after five months of pregnancy.

We here at Media Milwaukee believe these laws were fit and allowed women to get abortion if they were pregnant under horrible circumstances like rape. The 1849 law prohibits any abortion unless the woman’s life is in danger. That is not right as some women do not want to be mothers. Either they are not financially stable, or the pregnancy was unplanned as contraceptives fail. Wisconsin needs to change its laws. Currently Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul have filed a lawsuit arguing that the 1985 law supersedes the 1849 ban. If Evers and Kaul win the lawsuit, Wisconsin will once again adopt the 1985 laws.

We here at Media Milwaukee discussed what it meant for the fetus to become viable. After research, we believe that for a fetus to be viable it must have a working consciousness and a steady stable heartbeat. Through research, it has been determined that consciousness starts between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. This would be after the five-month period where women can get an abortion so abortion would not be allowed under the 1985 law when the fetus develops consciousness.

As for a steady heartbeat, research has shown that a fetus heartbeat can start at 5-6 weeks. But that is just a flutter, and the heartbeat is not stable. It is at approximately 10 weeks that the heart is fully formed and has a stable heartbeat. The heart fully forms during the five-month period that abortion would be legal. But does having a heartbeat mean that you are truly alive?

This is why, at Media Milwaukee, we talked about the baby’s consciousness as well. Because there are many instances where there are people of all ages on life support, that have a beating heart, but would die without a machine keeping them alive. The fetus having a heartbeat may make the abortion a more difficult decision, but we decided it should still be allowed since the baby has not developed a consciousness and there are still many things that can go wrong before the delivery date.

Now there are people that say, “by having an abortion you are killing a baby,” but that is not true. Instead, it is saving a life, helping a woman out of a traumatic situation if they were raped or victim of incest. It can be protecting a woman from a medical emergency if the fetus is not developed properly. Pregnancies are not always planned, contraceptives fail and why should the woman have to suffer the financial, physical, and mental stress of carrying and raising a child because of that?

We here at Media Milwaukee are not the only ones in Wisconsin who believe abortions rights should change. According to a poll conducted by the University of Marquette, 55% of adults in Wisconsin believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Whereas 38% believe it should be illegal in all or most cases, and 7% were a mix of unsure and refused to answer. This shows that Wisconsin is pro-choice and why shouldn’t the government listen to the people, isn’t that what democracy is?

In conclusion, Wisconsin’s laws are old and outdated. They have to change to keep up with the times and give women the rights back to make their choices with their bodies.