Democratic candidates for governor would lift abortion limits

Patrick Marley | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - The Democrats running for governor say they would lift restrictions on abortion and would pardon doctors who perform the procedure if they were charged with crimes.

Their stances contrast with the record of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a longtime opponent of abortion who has signed abortion restrictions into law. Walker has declined to say whether he would back further limits, such as a ban on abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

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While the eight Democrats are united, one of them — state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout of Alma — has come under scrutiny from supporters of abortion rights because of her past. Vinehout was once a member of the anti-abortion group Democrats for Life and had her endorsement from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin rescinded in 2009.

Former state Rep. Kelda Roys of Madison has put abortion rights at the forefront of her campaign and focused on it in her first TV ad. Roys, who says her great grandmother died from a self-induced abortion, is the former director of the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.

“Mandatory ultrasounds, forced delay, biased counseling (and) funding restrictions make accessing abortion services more difficult, dangerous and expensive,” Roys said in a statement. “They interfere with both medical privacy and the doctor-patient relationship.”

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Much of Roys’ focus has been on a Wisconsin statute that criminalizes abortion. That law can’t be enforced because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.

Roys contends Wisconsin’s ban on abortion would be reinstated if Roe were overturned. She and the other Democrats say if elected they would try to repeal that law — and promise to pardon any doctors who were charged under the abortion ban if that law were put back in place.

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The Democrats face each other in an Aug. 14 primary. The winner will go up against Walker in the Nov. 6 general election.

Vinehout is the Democrat who has been met with the most skepticism from supporters of abortion rights. She got the endorsement of Planned Parenthood in 2006, when she first ran for the Senate, but the group withdrew it after Vinehout backed a “conscience clause” that would allow pharmacists who oppose birth control to refrain from filling those prescriptions.

“If there is to be a law, it has to recognize both the woman’s right to have her prescription filled and the pharmacist’s conscience,” Vinehout wrote in a 2008 column in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

In a recent statement, Vinehout said she supports repealing a host of measures signed by Walker, including ones banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization and requiring women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds. She said she wants to restore funding for Planned Parenthood cut by Walker.

The other Democrats running for governor also said they backed lifting restrictions on abortion.

Besides Roys and Vinehout, the field consists of state schools Superintendent Tony Evers; former state Democratic Party Chairman Matt Flynn; liberal activist Mike McCabe; state firefighters union President Mahlon Mitchell; Madison Mayor Paul Soglin; and lawyer Josh Pade.

Walker has signed measures cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, requiring ultrasounds for those seeking abortions, banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization and requiring doctors who perform abortions to get admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The measure on admitting privileges was found to be unconstitutional and taxpayers had to pay $1.6 million to Planned Parenthood and another abortion provider for their legal expenses.

Walker has refused to say if he would sign a bill banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically at about six weeks and before many women know they’re pregnant. Iowa lawmakers recently approved such a law but it has been put on hold because of a court challenge.

The Democrats said they opposed fetal heartbeat legislation.

"Scott Walker has a strong record defending life and the unborn, and he has signed laws to help families and improve the adoption process for those trying to make a home for adopted children,” Walker spokesman Austin Altenburg said in a statement. “He'll continue to stand by that record."

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When he ran for re-election in 2014, Walker ran an ad that downplayed his opposition to abortion, called the decision to end a pregnancy “agonizing” and said abortion legislation he approved “leaves the final decision to a woman and her doctor.”

Less than a year later, he signed the 20-week abortion ban and said choosing between abortion and the life of a mother was a “false choice” because other options are available.