Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) announced its endorsement of Kelly Westlund for State Senate and Laura Gapske for State Assembly. These candidates are trusted to utilize their platforms and voices to push for the protection of reproductive rights for all Wisconsinites. Legislative action in Wisconsin is vital. With the result of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the threat of enforcement of Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban has forced Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and other providers to suspend abortion services and created fear in the medical community. Patients are now being referred to neighboring states and confusion about the law is putting people’s lives at risk.
With no Federal Constitutional protections, the role of the legislature in determining the future of reproductive freedoms in Wisconsin is more critical than ever, and those being endorsed are champions for protecting access to the full scope of reproductive freedoms in Wisconsin.
Statement from Steven Webb, Executive Director, PPAWI
“PPAWI is excited to announce our endorsement of Kelly Westlund and Laura Gapske. This is an extremely important election cycle and abortion is on the ballot. There are two avenues to be taken in the restoration of abortion access in Wisconsin, legislative and judicial. The path to repeal the outdated 1849 criminal abortion ban runs through our ballots. Now more than ever, it is vital for the rights of Wisconsinites that we elect pro-choice and pro-people candidates.”
There is a lot on the line in Assembly District 73 and Senate District 25. Laura Gapske is the Director of Programs at Men As Peacemakers and pro-choice candidate. Her opponent and the GOP nominee, Angie Sapik takes an openly pro-life stance – proudly opposing abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. In Senate District 25, Kelly Westlund is running to fill a seat that is being vacated by Senator Janet Bewley. Kelly Westlund is a pro-choice candidate who has working to hard to keep that seat in the state senate and supporting her campaign is vital to the protection of Governor Evers’ veto. Quinn is endorsed by an extreme anti-abortion group that opposes even having exceptions for rape or incest or cases when the life of the mother is at stake and opposes many forms of birth control and fertility treatments. And he voted to cut funding for crucial women’s health care services like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings, as well as cutting funding for birth control.
For a full list of PPAWI endorsements click HERE.
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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. PPAWI engages in legislative and educational activity and works to elect candidates to office that support these goals.