Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, says he will grant clemency to doctors charged under an 1849 state abortion law, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The law, which went into place a year after Wisconsin became a state, outlaws abortion except to save the life of the mother. It has not been enforced for nearly 50 years since Roe v. Wade but has technically retaken effect following the Supreme Court ruling Friday overturning the landmark case.
Wisconsin Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and several county district attorneys in the state have said they would refuse to enforce it.
"The 1849 law says that anybody that provides an abortion is subject to a felony, one to six years," Evers said during a rally at Wisconsin's state Democratic Party convention Saturday. "Did you ever think about the word clemency? I will provide clemency to any physician that is charged under that law.
"I don't think that a law that was written before the Civil War, or before women secured the right to vote, should be used to dictate these intimate decisions on reproductive health."
Evers called the Supreme Court decision "bull----" and said abortion access would be more at risk if a Republican opponent beats him in the November election.
"You think it's bad now? The four Republicans that are going after me, one of them we're going to beat, they are going to make it worse," Evers said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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