GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The 49th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, allowing abortions in the United States, will take place on Saturday. But it could also be the last – pending another Supreme Court decision on a case now in front of them.
Every year, activists who want abortion to be illegal gather in Washington D.C. to march. But those taking part in this year’s March for Life are hoping it’ll be the final year before the court overturns decades of precedent on abortion rights.
Among those gathering is Grace Skogman. She’s the legislative director for Wisconsin Right to Life.
“This is a once in a generation moment for the pro life movement,” Skogman told WTAQ News. “We want to show up in great numbers and reminds the Supreme Court that this is the heartbeat of the nation. That there are truly millions of Americans who care about defending life.”
Skogman says she’s only been in the fight for a few years, but recognizes how long the fight has been going.
“We have had decades of fighting since the original roe V. Wade decision, and this is finally the moment we feel, especially in Wisconsin, for a chance to truly defend life,” Skogman said. “We are always willing to do whatever it takes to defend every single human life, but with that said, we have spent the last 5 decades trying to find compromises and take small wins when we can.”
Many argue that there should at least be exceptions in the law for certain situations like rape or incest. But Skogman says every life is worthy of protection, regardless of the circumstances.
“In the case of heartbreak or rape or a situation of that nature, we believe abortion only continues the cycle of violence against women,” Skogman said. “That’s why we so fundamentally believe instead, we must be focusing on supporting women and giving them resources – whether that be medical or emotional support, anything of that nature, to help them through those times.”
However, views are significantly different from the other side. Tanya Atkinson is the President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. She points to the dangers of what could happen in Wisconsin if Roe v. Wade is, in fact, overturned.
“The case that is in front of the Supreme Court is a direct challenge to Roe [v. Wade]. If Roe is overturned, there’s a national impact, a huge national impact…Wisconsin has a very old abortion ban on the books. It’s about 172 years old. Abortion could immediately become a crime in the state of Wisconsin, and that would impact about 1.3 million women across the state,” Atkinson told WTAQ News. “There’s no exception for rape, there’s no exceptions for incest, there’s no exception for the health of the pregnant person – and it’s not a political exercise…In Wisconsin, it’s clear that we do care about our neighbors, right? We care about our friends and neighbors. This isn’t a political exercise. It really impacts real people.”
Skogman says while not necessarily an ideal situation, Wisconsin Right to Life would be willing to come to the table to discuss caveats in potential future legislation.
“At the end of the day what we would like to see is protection for every single human life, but we’re certainly willing to look at many avenues to get there. If that’s a slow road, it’s one we’re willing to take,” Skogman said. “If we have legislation that has exceptions for rape and incest and life of the mother, we will still work on that and support that legislation, even if it does have exceptions.”
Atkinson shared stories in a press release on Thursday:
A statement sent out as part of a press release from the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.
Atkinson says banning abortions doesn’t make them go away, but rather has the effect opposite of the intention – and makes them unsafe.
“In Wisconsin, abortion is already very challenging for a lot of people to access because we have some of the most restrictive laws on abortion in the entire country…It’s not an accident that we have from the most restrictive laws in the nation. In the last two legislative sessions, we’ve seen even more egregious restrictions be passed and to be vetoed by Governor Evers…If abortions were illegal in the state of Wisconsin, the concern for health safety among many other things are very real,” Atkinson said. “People should be able to access to health care that they need, and it’s really critical that people who need abortions be trusted to make that decision for themselves and in consultation with whomever in their life they would like to make that decision…The decision of deciding if or when to become a parent is one of the most personal and life changing decisions many people make. It’s very important that people be able to make that decision for themselves.”
Atkinson says while there may be disagreements on abortion and the complexity surrounding the hot-button issue, a majority of people want abortions to be safe and legal.
“We know that Wisconsinites care about each other, so we’re encouraging folks to come together and work to protect people’s ability to make those family decisions for themselves,” Atkinson said. “People should be trusted to make their own health care decisions. 80-percent of people across the country believe that abortion should remain safe and legal, so it’s up to our elected officials to represent the state of Wisconsin.”
It remains unclear how long the Supreme Court could take to issue a ruling on the Mississippi case, where the state is defending a law banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
