From Anthony Kesich
New Glarus
To the Editor:
In Wisconsin, when a rapist forcibly impregnates a woman, state law says we will force her to carry that pregnancy. Every single elected Wisconsin Democrat has tried to restore women’s rights over rapists’. Strong Democratic women like Leah Spicer and Pat Skogen support women’s rights. The Wisconsin GOP has voted for the rapists.
This stems from a law passed in 1849 — before we understood that germs caused disease, before America allowed women to vote, and long before we recognized Black people as full and equal humans.
By denying women the right to abortion in almost all situations, Wisconsin now stands amongst the most regressive states in the Union. We will force an incest victim to carry her rapist’s baby. We will deny pregnant cancer patients chemo until their body starts dying. We will allow rapists to choose the mother of their children by forcing their victims to act as unwilling vessels. We will require a mother living through the gut-wrenching agony of miscarriage to wait until her uterus is bleeding so heavily as to threaten her life before removing her dearly wanted but unviable child from inside her.
Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul have stood up for women by filing a lawsuit seeking to strike down the 1849 law. Governor Evers called the legislature into session in June to repeal the 1849 law and return Wisconsin to our status quo pre-Dobbs. The Wisconsin GOP took less than one minute to gavel in and gavel out — quickly reaffirming the rights of rapists over women. They have a chance to fix this at the next special session on October 4th, but I doubt they will.
At the national level, a bill has passed the U.S. House to restore abortion rights across the nation. Every Wisconsin Democrat voted in favor of women. Every Wisconsin Republican voted to let rapists control Wisconsin women.
This November, the choice is clear. If you think women are more than just birthing vessels, vote for Tony Evers, vote for Leah Spicer, vote for Pat Skogan, and vote for all Democrats up and down the ballot.
