Gov. Scott Walker vowed to sign legislation prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy if such a bill passes through the state Legislature, according to an open letter sent to The Weekly Standard Tuesday.
In the letter, Walker touted his administration’s accomplishments in ratcheting up restrictions on abortions and defunding Planned Parenthood.
“Life is a value I learned from my parents, and it’s a value I have cherished every day, predating my time in politics,” Walker said in the letter.
In 2011, Walker’s state budget proposal slashed state funding to Planned Parenthood, eventually leading to a number of office closures across the state.
The last time Wisconsin’s abortion laws were updated was in 2013, when the state enacted a law requiring those seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound within 24 hours of the abortion. The physician performing the ultrasound must show the resulting pictures to the patient and “provide a means for the pregnant woman to visualize any fetal heartbeat.”
So far no legislators have introduced a law banning abortions after 20 weeks, but The Wisconsin State Journal reported Tuesday that Republicans in the state Assembly are working on a bill.
