Walker says he’ll sign 20-week abortion ban with or without rape, incest exemptions
By Kay Nolan, June 2, 2015
Gov. Scott Walker says he will sign a proposed ban on abortion after 20 weeks regardless of whether it includes exemptions for rape and incest.
The current draft of the bill, up for a joint public hearing today, does not include the exceptions, and Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has said he was unsure if the bill would move in his house without them.
Walker earlier this year issued a letter pledging to sign a ban after 20 weeks once it reaches his desk.
Following an appearance in Delavan Monday, the guy said “most people think it’s reasonable to say that after five months, an unborn child … can feel pain.” Opponents of the bill point to a 2005 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that concluded available evidence suggested it was unlikely a fetus can feel pain before the third trimester.
“Whether you’re pro-life or not, that’s a good time to say that it shouldn’t be legal,” Walker said.
Asked if he would support a clause that made an exception for rape and incest, Walker added, “Again, it’s an unborn life, it’s an unborn child and that’s where we feel strongly about it.”
But, he added, “I’m prepared to sign it either way.”
The bill is up for a joint public hearing today before the Assembly and Senate Health committees. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee is looking at a Thursday exec on the bill, but won’t set final details until today, according to the office of Chair Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa. Assembly Health Committee Chair Joe Sanfelippo, R-West Allis, hoped to have a better idea on the timing of a vote after today’s hearing, his office said.