Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, September 28, over 80 people rallied at Dontre Hamilton Park in response to the recent attacks on abortion in Wisconsin. As of October 1, Planned Parenthood Wisconsin will be pausing abortion services at its three locations. This leaves only two independent clinics left in the entire state that offer abortion services, both located in Milwaukee.

Due to new stipulations in Trump and the Republicans’ reactionary Big, Beautiful Bill that was passed through Congress, funding is no longer available to Planned Parenthood Wisconsin. Organizations that receive Medicaid reimbursements and offer reproductive healthcare, including abortion, are no longer eligible for reimbursements if they continue to offer those services.

“We are here today to send a loud and unwavering message. Donald Trump and his regressive policies are not welcome in our city, in our state, or in our lives. We didn’t stay silent when our rights were stripped away with the fall of Roe in 2022, and we won’t stay silent now,” said Carly Klein of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We will fight back – against every attack on reproductive healthcare, against every assault on our communities, and against every system that seeks to oppress us.”

The rally aimed to let the public know abortion is legal in Wisconsin, and that there are still options for patients seeking services. Care for All and Affiliated Medical Services are both independent abortion clinics that remain open in Milwaukee. Since they don’t depend on Medicaid funding, they are exempt from the effects of the Big Beautiful Bill.

Another organization endorsing the rally was the Milwaukee Fights Back Coalition, formerly the Coalition to March on the RNC. A representative of the group, Andrea Waters, remarked, “The Trump administration effectively changed abortion access forever. This was another direct attack on bodily autonomy for women. Trump and the Republicans use this tactic to divide us as well, activating people who normally wouldn’t even have an opinion on abortion by making it ‘The Right v. The Radical Left.’”

Other organizations that spoke at the event were Students for a Democratic Society – United With Milwaukee (SDS UWM), Madison Abortion & Reproductive Rights Coalition for Healthcare (MARRCH), Pro-Choice Milwaukee, Care for All clinic, Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Men4Choice.

Despite the uphill battle, the organizers are determined to expand abortion access in Wisconsin. “Wisconsin isn’t turning back,” said Andrea Waters. “If you feel charged up from this event today, join the movement, talk to one of the speakers you saw today. We cannot stand silent while these attacks happen, we must expand abortion access in Wisconsin. Lend a hand and help us build a better future, a better tomorrow for the generations to come after us.”

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #Abortion #ReproductiveRight #MilwaukeeFightsBackCoaltition #SDS #MARRCH #PCM #MAARPR #Feature

The choice activists were there to oppose an anti-abortion referendum being added to Wisconsin’s April 2024 election ballot. The referendum would ban abortion six weeks earlier than the current state statute, making accessing abortion services even more challenging in the state.

Those who attended in opposition to Assembly Bill 975 were met with the harsh reality of the political climate in Wisconsin. The public hearing felt more like a reality TV show than legal proceedings. Representative Amanda Nedeweski, a co-author of the 14-week abortion ban started the hearing with her testimony, where she stated, “I’m not going to debate the science of biology here but as a mother…I have a really hard time believing that somebody who doesn’t know they’re pregnant at 14 weeks wants to know. Maybe they just don’t want to know.”

Nedeweski was supported by most of the members of the committee and the anti-abortion community members in the crowd who called those speaking out about the bill “murderers” and “heartless.” At one point in the meeting Representative David Murphy referred to an activist, from Pro-Life Wisconsin, as his “friend” and Representative Gae Dresser put her palms together as if she was praying, while a community member read verses from the Bible.

Pro-choice activists continued to testify despite the grossly apparent biases of the committee.

“We believe it is our responsibility to hold politicians accountable when they are making choices that are harmful to the community and that is why I stand before you today,” said Carly Klein, outreach co-chair from Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee (RJAM). “Even with abortion being legal again in our state, people are still being forced to carry out pregnancies due to the barriers of cost, mandatory waiting periods, and lack of access in rural communities.”

Klein encouraged committee members to, “be on the right side of history,” and to not only oppose the proposed bill but to vote in favor of the Reproductive Freedom Act (RFA), a grouping of assembly bills that would expand abortion access for Wisconsinites. Klein ended her testimony by informing the committee members, “We will be reaching out to each of you personally to discuss your support of the RFA,” letting the politicians know that they were ready to apply pressure.

“I believe that pregnancy should always be voluntary, that pregnant people should have access to safe and compassionate medical care, and that the government should not legislate the conditions under which pregnant people are allowed to access that care,” said Caitlin Benedetto, from Madison Abortion and Reproductive Rights Coalition for Healthcare (MARRCH). “People feel we are going backward. They feel angry and dehumanized. I feel dehumanized, too.”

Benedetto ended her testimony by saying, “Please do not pass this bill. Please listen to the testimony of those here today who tell you that we do not want further restrictions on medical freedom and bodily autonomy. Please trust us to make our own choices about our health, our families, and our bodies.”

The public hearing concluded with the committee scheduling a vote for the following day, where the assembly bill passed by two votes. It will move on to the Committee on Rules.

Milwaukee and Madison-based organizers in RJAM and MARRCH are not ready to give up any time soon. They have combined efforts in their Beyond Roe campaign and plan to take the struggle statewide as they fight the uphill battle for unrestricted abortion access in Wisconsin.

They are currently gathering signatures for their statewide petition that demands no mandatory waiting periods for abortion services, access for rural communities, and access through telehealth services. Join the fight for abortion access by signing their petition here: bit.ly/thepetitionwi

#MadisonWI #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #RJAM #MARRCH