Wisconsin Pro-Lifers on a Roll

By Dave Andrusko

When a federal appeals court recently upheld the entirety of Wisconsin's Women's Right to Know Act, the decision by a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals represented the latest in a lengthy list of victories for Badger state pro-lifers.

While most of the provisions of the 1996 law had been reluctantly upheld by District Judge Barbara Crabb, she did invalidate one major component: the requirement that abortionists inform women that they may first see an ultrasound image of their baby or hear the heartbeat.

But in a 93-page ruling handed down August 13 the appeals court panel agreed with the state that there was nothing impermissible in the stated purposes of the law - - to provide information about alternatives and to ensure the decision is informed - - including making women aware of the technology that allows them to hear their baby's heartbeat or visualize him or her via an ultrasound.

The law also includes other components that enable women both to avoid an ill-informed rush to abort and to be made aware that there are resources available to them.

For example, the law requires that women meet with the abortionist at least 24 hours in advance of the abortion. It also mandates that the abortionist offer the woman information about alternatives, data about risks of abortion versus childbirth, and a brochure that shows the stages of fetal development, which includes pictures of the unborn child.

If the appeals court's 3-0 decision wasn't encouragement enough, the same day state officials reported that not only had the number of abortions in Wisconsin in 1998 dropped to the lowest number in 24 years, the ratio of abortions to live births was also the lowest since 1974.

While the number of abortions nationally has been steadily dropping in recent years, few states can come near Wisconsin's extraordinary progress in reducing the number of babies lost to abortion.

To put the numbers in context: in 1980, there were 21,754 abortions in Wisconsin. By 1997 the number had plummeted all the way to 13,218.

But by 1998 the figure had dropped still further to 11,681, a decrease of 12% from the year before and over 46% from 1980.

Wisconsin RTL Executive Director Barbara Lyons told NRL News, "While there were 11,681 abortions too many, we know that our educational and legislative efforts are reaching the minds and hearts of the people of Wisconsin. Over 1,500 fewer lives were destroyed in Wisconsin in 1998 than in 1997."

On top of that in 1980 the ratio of abortions to live births was 29 abortions for every 100 births. By 1998, there were 18 abortions for every 100 live births.

Looked at still another way, in 1980 there were 20 abortions for every 1,000 women in the child-bearing age bracket 15-44. State figures show that by 1998, that number had been halved to 10 per 1,000.

Lyons also provided other hard numbers to prove, (as Wisconsin Legislative Director Sue Armacost put it) "abortions are down and pro-life public opinion is up."

Wirthlin Worldwide has polled public opinion in the state since 1991. By the summer of 1999 there had been a dramatic upswing in pro-life sentiment. Two-thirds of respondents believed that abortion should not be legal except in the most extreme circumstances.

Five hundred adults were surveyed by phone and asked, "Which of the following statements most closely describes your position on the issue of abortion?" Respondents were provided with a list of six options.

Exactly 19% said abortion should "never be legal." Another 19% said legal "only when the life of the mother is in danger." Another 28% said legal "only when the life of the mother is in danger or in cases of rape or incest."

Combining the three figures, 66% condone abortion only in the most extreme circumstances. In 1993 the figure for these three categories was 53%.

"The results were stunning and represent a big breakthrough," Lyons said. "It is clear that Wisconsin Right to Life's strong educational and legislative initiatives explain in large measure the increase of 13 percentage points in pro-life sentiment from 1993."

Armacost told NRL News that these successes have "reinvigorated our chapters. They see that their day-to-day activities do pay off, do make a difference."

She was also quick to point out that Wisconsin pro-lifers have passed other legislation.

In 1998, they passed a ban on partial-birth abortion which was challenged by Planned Parenthood and several abortionists. In June the law was upheld by Judge John Shabaz of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Pro-abortion forces again appealed and oral arguments are scheduled to be presented to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals later this month. Among other victories, Wisconsin pro-lifers have also passed a fetal homicide law.

Armacost credits their successes to a number of factors, including not only the effect of the laws themselves but the debate that went into their passage and the crucially important work of the chapters.

"The debate over partial-birth abortion really caught the public's attention," she said. Armacost talked about to all the people who had called Wisconsin RTL to say, "I thought I was pro-choice, but tell me more about this partial-birth abortion." Once a discussion began, she said, often the same caller would begin to express doubts about abortion in general.

The leadership in the state Senate and Assembly has often been instrumental in passing protective legislation. "And Gov. Tommy Thompson has been just wonderful," Armacost said.

"Gov. Thompson doesn't just sign pro-life legislation, he pushes for its passage in the first place," Armacost concluded. "His words in defense of life have been eloquent."