“The Wisconsin 1849 law is valid – there’s nothing in that law to make it invalid.”

MADISON, Wis. — On Nov 11th, the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a criminal abortion ban which Brad Schimel has long supported enforcing and recently called “valid.”

In 2012, Schimel signed onto, and supported, the Wisconsin Right to Life position that Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War criminal abortion ban should be enforced. As Waukesha County district attorney in 2012, Schimel signed a legal white paper endorsing the 19th century ban that made abortion illegal at conception, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the woman. Schimel approved the position that, “Wisconsin’s Pre-Roe criminal abortion statute would immediately become enforceable once Roe v. Wade is overruled. No legislative or judicial action would be needed to enforce this statute.”

Schimel, an extreme politician and “anti-abortion warrior” running to be a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme recently reaffirmed his support for the 1849 criminal abortion ban, saying “the Wisconsin 1849 law is valid – there’s nothing in that law to make it invalid.”

In addition to supporting the 1849 criminal abortion ban, as Attorney General, Schimel and his top aides worked with extreme groups in the scheme to overturn Roe v Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent protecting reproductive freedom and rights. As recently revealed by the New York Times, Schimel’s Wisconsin Department of Justice played a lead role with the right-wing group the Alliance for Defending Freedom to overturn Roe v Wade.

Notably, as the New York Times, USA Today, and the Associated Press have previously reported, Schimel tried to keep it a secret that he, and his top aides, attended a July 2017 Alliance for Defending Freedom planning meeting at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel in California. However, it was revealed by the media that Schimel accepted over $4,000 from the extreme group to attend the conference and Wisconsin taxpayers were billed $1,000 to pay for one of Schimel’s top staffers to attend the conference focused on a legal strategy for an abortion ban that would end the reproductive freedom protections of Roe. 

“Brad Schimel is an extreme politician with an extreme record working to overturn reproductive freedom and supporting an 1849 criminal abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother.” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund.  “Brad Schimel is running to be a far-right activist on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He has been rejected by Wisconsin voters before, and he will be again because people want justices on our highest court that will protect constitutional rights and reproductive freedoms.”