Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison)
As the nation marks the 43rd anniversary of legalized abortion rights in the United States, a state lawmaker has revived a push to eliminate an old state law that makes the procedure a crime.
Senate Democrat Fred Risser (D-Madison) says the law remains on the books, despite being rendered unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. Risser, the nation’s longest serving state legislator, put out a notice seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would repeal the statute.
In a statement, Risser argued “It is time to take this harsh and obsolete law out of our books. Abortion is a routine medical procedure that should be safe and accessible to all women.”
The effort is expected to see no movement in the Republican-controlled Legislature. In previous attempts to repeal the statute, GOP leaders have said the law should remain in place in the event the high court ever overturns its prior decision.