Lawmaker accuses Senate leader of 'squashing debate' on bill to loosen Wisconsin's abortion law
MADISON - The Republican author of a bill that would overhaul the state's abortion law says a Senate leader is "squashing debate" on a bill she and a group of GOP lawmakers introduced this spring that would allow doctors to provide abortions to victims of rape and incest — a policy change most Wisconsin residents support.
Sen. Mary Felzkowski and more than two dozen Republican lawmakers introduced legislation in April that would create exceptions to the state's 19th-century near-total abortion ban for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault, incest and in situations when the mother is experiencing serious pregnancy complications.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers immediately said he would not sign legislation that would keep in place the state's abortion law, a move that could jeopardize a lawsuit he and Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul launched in 2022 to invalidate the law that is still in court. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu also said at the time that his caucus wouldn't take a floor vote on the bill because of Evers' position.
This week, Senate President Chris Kapenga assigned the bill to a committee led by GOP Sen. Andre Jacque, who has authored dozens of bills that would restrict abortion access including one that would bar public officials from even promoting the idea of abortion.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/19/senator-decries-move-to-bury-gop-bill-loosening-wisconsin-abortion-law/70233824007/