U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson wouldn’t indicate Tuesday whether he’d support a proposed national ban on abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation, telling a reporter he felt the issue was best left to the states.
The Oshkosh Republican, who has supported multiple federal abortion bans in the past, said that abortion should be decided by “we the people” in the 50 states, according to a CNN report.
Asked whether his comments to CNN meant Johnson would oppose a national ban, Johnson spokesperson Alexa Henning said, “As the senator has said many times, he believes this is a profound moral issue and agrees with the Dobbs decision to allow the democratic process to unfold in each state to determine at what point does society have the responsibility to protect life.”
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The proposed legislation, which almost certainly won’t receive a vote in the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate, includes exceptions for incest, rape and risks to the mother’s life and health. The measure would leave intact state prohibitions that are stricter than the proposed ban, while requiring states with more permissive abortion laws to adhere to the 15-week requirement.
In Wisconsin, an ongoing lawsuit is likely to determine whether the state’s 1849 near-complete abortion ban became active after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the meantime, abortion clinics have stopped providing services in the state.
Senate GOP not on same page on Graham’s 15-week abortion. Thune supports it. Rick Scott said he’d “look at it.” Cornyn and Ron Johnson said it should be left to the states. Asked if he backs Graham bill, Johnson said it should be decided by “we the people” in the 50 states.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 13, 2022
Johnson has supported national abortion bans before, co-sponsoring six, 20-week abortion bans between 2013 and 2021. In late August, Johnson said states should decide the issue but added that Congress could eventually set the limit, according to the Washington County Daily News.
The measures Johnson supported all preceded the U.S. Supreme Court decision that “returned the issue to the states,” Henning said.
Still, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes’ campaign was doubtful that Johnson would actually vote against a federal abortion ban.
“Ron Johnson’s record has made it clear: A vote for Ron Johnson is a vote for a federal abortion ban,” Barnes spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said in a statement.
The legislation introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tuesday appeared to have divided congressional Republicans, who have varying opinions on the proper limit for federal abortion bans or whether Congress should decide the issue at all, according to multiple reports.
Complete coverage: Supreme Court ends abortion protections; what's next for Wisconsin?
Read complete coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ends nationwide abortion protections, and what it means in Wisconsin.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade Friday, ending the federally protected right to an abortion.
The decision is a stunning reversal of a guarantee that permitted medical providers to administer thousands of abortions in Wisconsin each year for decades.
In response to Friday's ruling, a group of doctors plans to start an independent clinic in the Rockford area to initially offer pill abortions and eventually provide surgical abortions.
'Absolutely disastrous' or 'great victory': Quotes from leading Wisconsin figures on overturn of Roe
Wisconsin politicians and organizations speak to the Supreme Court decision and a 1849 law banning abortion in Wisconsin in nearly all circumstances.
Here's what Wisconsin legislators and advocates on both sides of the abortion issue had to say about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning…
Some anti-abortion rights groups, like Pro-Life Wisconsin, want to alter a provision in the state's near-complete abortion ban that allows abortions for when it's necessary to save the mother's life.
Take a look back at some of Phil Hands' favorite editorial cartoons about the fight for abortion rights.
The Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the latest cartoon from Phil Hands.
Evers said he "will do everything in his power" to fight the ruling, including pardoning individuals charged under Wisconsin's nearly complete…
"I'm mad," one 26-year-old demonstrator remarked. "I'm very, very mad. We shouldn't be in this situation in 2022."
Johnson
Johnson has supported national abortion bans before, co-sponsoring six, 20-week abortion bans between 2013 and 2021.
Alexander Shur | Wisconsin State Journal
Alexander Shur covers state government for the Wisconsin State Journal.
