Local elected officials: Over 60 local elected officials across Wisconsin sign an open letter opposing the investigation and prosecution of individual health care decisions

MADISON, Wis. –  Immediately, Dane County Supervisors Sarah Smith and Cecely Castillo revealed an open letter calling upon Wisconsin’s District Attorneys, Sheriffs, and Police Chiefs to pledge that they won’t make the most of the sources of their places of work to research or prosecute people’ well being care selections together with accessing abortion care. This open letter has been signed by over 60 native elected officers from over a dozen Wisconsin counties.

The current U.S. Supreme Court docket leak signifies that the courtroom is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and Deliberate Parenthood v. Casey, which have protected entry to abortion for almost 50 years. Overturning Roe may set off Wis. Stat. § 940.04, a 173-year-old Wisconsin legislation criminalizing abortion.

“The revival of Wisconsin’s draconian abortion ban would have damaging penalties for our communities, which is why we’re calling upon native legislation enforcement to not make the most of their sources on its enforcement,” mentioned Supervisor Smith. “All individuals who want abortions ought to be capable to entry them safely and on demand with out menace of investigation, prosecution, or different hurt.”

In 2020, 6,336 abortions have been supplied for Wisconsin residents that lived in almost each county of the state. The signers on this open letter embody Mayors, County Board Supervisors, Metropolis Councilmembers, Village Trustees, and College Board Members from Calumet, Chippewa, Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Pierce, Racine, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Superior, and Winnebago counties.

“Folks will nonetheless must entry abortion care if Roe is overturned These with sources will be capable to get hold of the well being care they want. Native legislation enforcement officers should stand in opposition to the criminalization of non-public well being care selections which is able to simply heighten well being care inequities,” mentioned Supervisor Castillo. “Consuming investigative and prosecutorial sources to implement an abortion ban on the expense of different legislation enforcement efforts won’t hold our communities any safer. As a substitute, it’ll inflict additional hurt on survivors of rape, human trafficking, and home violence.”

As of this launch, abortion remains to be authorized in Wisconsin and suppliers like Deliberate Parenthood are open and offering providers for his or her sufferers. Folks searching for an abortion may entry abortion tablets on-line by means of organizations like AidAccess. Abortion funds like Girls’s Medical Fund, Choices Fund, Freedom Fund, and Midwest Motion Coalition  may present assist to these in want of an abortion.