WASHINGTON — Wisconsin’s Democrats on Capitol Hill are lauding the state Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday to strike down the state’s pre-Civil War abortion ban. 

“I'm glad that we have some sanity restored to at least that law in Wisconsin,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison.

What You Need To Know

  • Wisconsin Democrats are praising the liberal justices on the state Supreme Court for striking down a pre-Civil War abortion ban

  • However, many Wisconsin Republicans are not in favor of the move, with one saying the decision wasn't surprising, but sad

  • The decision comes as Republicans in Congress are trying to ban using federal Medicaid funds to pay for any healthcare at Planned Parenthood clinics

  • Federal law already bans using federal dollars for most abortions

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, said women should be able to control their own bodies.

“After the devastating Dobbs decision, women in Wisconsin were forced to abide by a 176-year-old law, made before women had the right to vote,” she said in a statement. “It put their health and lives at risk and robbed them of their autonomy. Today’s decision gives women the certainty to seek the abortion care they need.”

Moore told Spectrum News 1 that “Wisconsin is living up to its motto: Forward.”

In its decision, the Wisconsin court’s liberal-leaning majority said changes made to the state’s abortion laws over the past 50 years were meant to replace the 1849 law. As a result of the ruling, abortions are now permitted until viability, which is around 20 weeks.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a statement the ruling “tells women in our state that they are not second-class citizens.”

However, other political officials were more critical about Wednesday's ruling.

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, said the decision is “emblematic of an overall moral decline” in this country. He said he agreed with the court’s conservative justices, who said in their dissent that their liberal colleagues made the decision on their personal preference.

“They obviously did,” Grothman said. “They made it very clear in their campaigns that they felt the most important thing for a supreme court judge in Wisconsin to do is keep abortion going. … We've elected Supreme Court judges specifically to legalize abortion [in] any way possible. So I don't think it's surprising, but it's sad.” 

The decision comes as Republicans in Congress are trying to ban using federal Medicaid funds to pay for any healthcare at Planned Parenthood clinics. Federal law already bans using federal funds for most abortions. 

The proposed new restriction is an effort to punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortion care, and is part of the president’s sweeping agenda bill Congress has been considering.

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