An OBGYN’s perspective on possibly lifting the WI abortion ban

The Wisconsin supreme court has a four-to-three conservative majority. The reason why there is so much interest is due to voters needing to elect a supreme court justice. However, this could swing the balance from being conservative to be more liberal. Also if the court becomes more liberal, several state policies could change like the ban on abortion. Several OBGYNs spoke about the abortion ban in Wisconsin.

Dr. Kristin Lyerly, a pro-abortion rights OBGYN in Greenbay said that access to have an abortion is fundamental to women’s health. “One in four women in this country will have an abortion in her lifetime. This is a common procedure, and it’s involved with miscarriage and infertility management and complicated pregnancies. Even menopause. Abortion is integrated throughout a woman’s reproductive lifetime.” Dr. Lyerly said.

However, if the abortion ban was lifted, some doctors say the procedure could be necessary in helping a mother avoid a dangerous pregnancy. Dr. Christopher Ford, an emergency physician from Milwaukee talked about why access to abortion is needed. “Doctors need to be able to act quickly using the full range of treatment options available to protect the woman’s health and life. As an emergency physician, I know how quickly patients’ health can change and how important it is to act swiftly.” Dr. Ford said.

There are couple of months before the election, but Dr. Ford says many Wisconsin voters could indirectly decide on whether or not abortion is allowed in Wisconsin. Dr. Shefaali Sharma, an OBGYN from Madison also talked about why the abortion ban should be lifted. “Women shouldn’t have their personal health care choices made for them by Supreme Court justices. Simply put, there’s no room in the exam room for politicians or politics.” Dr. Sharma said.

However, there are anti-abortion doctors in Wisconsin who would not agree with lifting the ban. WDIO made multiple attempts to interview anti-abortion OBGYNs, but they were not available at the time of the newscast.  We are expecting a response from an anti-abortion OBGYN doctor in Wisconsin. We will bring their point of view as soon as possible.

For more information on abortion as a procedure you can look here https://www.acog.org/.

For another story about the abortion ban you can look here https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/debating-reproductive-rights-in-wisconsin/.