Planned Parenthood announced Thursday that it will resume offering abortions in Wisconsin next week after a judge ruled that an 1849 law that seemingly banned the procedure actually didn’t apply to abortions.
This is great news though I don’t know that the judges ruling is great.
Every person who shall administer to any woman pregnant with a quick child, any medicine, drug, or substance whatever, or shall use or employ any instrument or other means, with intent thereby to destroy such child, unless the same shall have been necessary to preserve the life of such mother, or shall have been advised by two physicians to be necessary for such purpose, shall, in case the death of such child or of such mother be hereby produced, be deemed guilty of manslaughter in the second degree.
Medice, drug, or substance…
or employ any instrument whatsoever.
However, the newer law should take precedent, as our AG has said.
Wisconsin Stat. § 940.15, enacted in 1985, made abortion a crime only after viability, and allowed abortion after viability “if the abortion is necessary to preserve the life or health of the woman, as determined by reasonable medical judgment of the woman’s attending physician.”
Anyway, I’m glad the ruling is encouraging Planned Parenthood to offer abortion access again and I hope that our now liberal SC will uphold the ruling or clarify that a nearly two century old law shouldn’t take precedent over a much newer law.