Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed five pro-life bills Dec. 3 and promised to do the same to any other pro-life legislation that crosses his desk.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again today: As long as I’m governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this state,” Evers tweeted in announcing the vetoes.
One of the bills, which Evers also vetoed in 2019, would have imposed criminal penalties on doctors who fail to give medical care to babies born alive following an abortion attempt. Violators would have been guilty of a felony punishable by up to six years in prison.
The bill also would have made intentionally causing the death of a child born alive as a result of an abortion a felony punishable by life in prison.
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, a Republican, said Evers “made his position clear … that a life not wanted is a life worth wasting.”
“In other circumstances, babies born alive during operations are given care: Why should this change during an abortion? It shouldn’t,” he added. “Despite our governor’s radical ideologies, I will never stop fighting against this injustice to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
Another bill vetoed by Evers would have prohibited abortions based on a preborn baby’s sex, race, or potential diagnosis of Down syndrome or another congenital disability. Evers also vetoed that measure in 2019.
“Killing an unborn baby because of their sex, race or disability is not health care,” Republican Sen. Julian Bradley posted to Facebook. “This is a radical, pro-discrimination veto from Governor Evers. Wisconsinites deserve to know life is valued whether they are a man or woman, white or black, or have a disability.”
A third bill would have required physicians to inform women seeking chemical abortions that they have the option of changing their mind even after ingesting the first of two abortion pills. Another would have required doctors to provide the parents of unborn children that test positive for a congenital condition information about the condition. And the last bill would have reduced funding for abortion providers by prohibiting the state from certifying them as a provider under Medicaid.
