(Headline USA) Republicans who control the Wisconsin Assembly introduced a bill Friday that would call for a binding statewide referendum on whether abortion should be banned after 14 weeks of pregnancy.
The GOP has scheduled a public hearing on the bill for Monday afternoon at the state Capitol.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is almost certain to veto the measure.
Abortion has been an ongoing political issue in Wisconsin. A Dane County judge ruled this past summer that Wisconsin’s 174-year-old ban on abortion only prohibits feticide, or an attempt to kill an unborn child. The ruling emboldened Planned Parenthood, which had ceased providing services in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, to resume operations in September. The case is on appeal, though, and likely will end up before the state Supreme Court.
Monday’s hearing is set for the same day Kamala Harris is set to visit Waukesha County as part of a nationwide tour promoting infanticide, promising plenty of headlines for both sides on abortion.
Another Wisconsin law bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill Friday would outlaw abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy, or about three months.
Forty-three states prohibit abortions after a certain point of viability. Two states — Georgia and South Carolina — have laws in effect that ban abortion at six weeks, before many women realize they are pregnant. Nebraska and North Carolina have laws in effect that outlaw abortion at 12 weeks. Arizona and Florida have laws in effect that prohibit abortion at 15 weeks.
The proposal calls for a statewide referendum conducted during April’s election asking voters whether the 14-week prohibition should take effect. If approved, the bill would take effect the day after the results are certified. If the question is rejected, the bill would not take effect.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
