Why a state Senate bill to redefine abortion will hurt, not help, patients and doctors

FROM THE ARTICLE

In this op-ed, PRH Fellow Dr. Ashlyn Brown argues that Wisconsin’s SB 553 is a covert attempt to restrict abortion care under the guise of medical clarification, one that will worsen delays, exacerbate racial disparities, and put patients’ lives at risk. She stresses that politicians should not dictate medical decisions and calls on Wisconsinites to push back against legislation that stigmatizes and criminalizes essential care.

The Wisconsin State Senate passed SB 553 on Tuesday, Nov. 18, in their last floor session of the year. This bill, purportedly written to define abortion, is actually a covert attempt to exclude abortion from the broader scope of reproductive healthcare. 

Anti-abortion legislators pushing this bill are attempting to play to their religious base who voted them into office to promote an anti-abortion agenda. This is a failing strategy, however, when we’ve seen in countless elections around the country that abortion access is a winning issue, including in Wisconsin.