Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down Abortion Ban from 1849

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In a 4-3 decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a state law from 1849 that banned abortion, saying the old law has been replaced by newer state laws to regulate abortion and limit criminalizing it to only after fetal viability outside the womb.

The ban had been deactivated by the federal Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, but remained on the books. Republicans argued it was reactivated by the federal Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs, which overturned Roe v. Wade, but they had also put in place several constraints and regulations.

The state Supreme Court ruled “the legislature impliedly repealed” the ban “by enacting comprehensive legislation about virtually every aspect of abortion including where, when, and how healthcare providers may lawfully perform abortions.”

“That comprehensive legislation so thoroughly covers the entire subject of abortion that it was clearly meant as a substitute for the 19th century near-total ban on abortion.”

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