All people deserve the right to choose what they do with their body, says Agard. If Roe is overturned, a 173-year-old Wisconsin law would make abortion a felony.

Madison, WI — Last night, Politico released a leaked draft opinion that the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) intends to strike down Roe v. Wade in a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito. State Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“This initial draft majority opinion, leaked before a final ruling due in the next two months, may be a horrifying prediction of a dystopian America that is right around the corner.

“Overturning Roe will single-handedly harm countless Wisconsin people and more across the country. If Roe is overturned, a 173-year-old Wisconsin law criminalizing abortion will likely go into effect—abortion providers will face the possibility of being charged with a felony and serving up to six years in prison. For so many Wisconsinites, this would mean being forced to travel out of state to get the healthcare they need.

“This is a heinous attack on one of America’s most sacred cornerstones: the right to bodily autonomy. This is an encroachment on reproductive justice. All people deserve the right to choose what they do with their body. The decision to have an abortion is a private and personal decision that belongs between a person and their doctor. No politician, or Supreme Court Justice, should impinge upon such a right.

“Abortion is healthcare. We must keep fighting for this fundamental right, even if the highest court in the United States refuses to do the right thing in recognizing it as such.”