What If Roe Fell?
 Abortion will be illegal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has an antiquated abortion ban from the mid-1800's still on its books that carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail (and up to $50,000 in fines) for doctors who provide abortions and up to 3.5 years in jail (and up to $10,000 in fines) for women who have an abortion or attempt to perform an abortion on themselves. There is no exception for cases of rape or incest or pregnancies that risk the health of the woman. Although Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban is unenforceable right now because of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court has signaled its willingness to dismantle Roe's protections for women. That means in Wisconsin the Criminal Abortion Ban will immediately go back into effect, and abortion will once again become a crime in our state. Click here to learn more about Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban. By criminalizing doctors, abortion will become less safe. Doctors would fear criminal penalties and refuse to provide abortions, forcing women to seek unsafe, illegal abortions. No doctor should be asked to face 15 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for providing abortion care to a woman. If good doctors aren't there for women, who will be? Women will be treated like criminals. Outlawing abortion won't stop abortions; it will just make them extremely dangerous. A woman who seeks an abortion will be treated like a criminal and forced into an unsafe back-alley abortion. Women won't seek medical help if complications arise from their illegal abortions. If a woman has an abortion and complications arise from the unsafe, illegal abortion, the woman would likely not seek medical help for fear of the authorities finding out and criminal action being taken against her. Women could be threatened with prison. Wisconsin women who have an abortion or attempt to perform an abortion on themselves could be threatened with up to 3.5 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Will prosecutors pry into women's private medical records, investigate miscarriages, and threaten health care providers and family members to intimidate women? Women may be interrogated after a miscarriage. If a woman has a miscarriage and a prosecutor thought she performed an abortion on herself, she could be interrogated, investigated, and face criminal charges while she is going through the trauma of recovering from a miscarriage. Abortion is a personal decision, not a criminal act.
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