Frederica Freyberg:
In the race for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, the latest Marquette Law Poll showed incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin up 52% to 47% over Republican challenger Eric Hovde. The issue of abortion in the race is front and center, and it’s fast moving. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is reportedly poised to take up a lawsuit that seeks to declare that access to abortion is a right protected by the state constitution as health care providers and patients still face legal uncertainty when it comes to abortion. Reporter Steven Potter is covering the U.S. Senate race. He asked candidates Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde about their stance and the future of abortion access.

Tammy Baldwin:
I am pro-choice. I believe that politicians and judges shouldn’t be a part of women’s health care. And, I am appalled to see what has happened to folks since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision two years ago.

Eric Hovde:
I believe in the beauty of life. I was blessed with two daughters and three grandchildren. And I agree with exception for rape, incest and the health of the mother. I also believe early on in a woman’s pregnancy; she should have a right to choose. But there comes a time when a baby can be born healthy and alive that it’s unconscionable to terminate that baby.

Tammy Baldwin:
The path ahead has to be both a national and a state path. At the national level, we need to pass my Women’s Health Protection Act. That act would codify Roe v. Wade but take the very necessary additional step of telling states like Wisconsin and Texas and Florida and all these states you’ve been reading about that you can’t at the state level, burden access to abortion care that’s inconsistent with Roe v. Wade. That’s what the Women’s Health Protection Act would do. I’m the lead of that on that bill, and we must advance that at the national level. At the state level, not only does Wisconsin have this ban that was — criminal abortion ban that was passed in 1849, we have a lot of other restrictions that are unnecessary: mandatory ultrasound, 24 hour waiting period. Those burden people’s access to health care. And that shouldn’t be the case. And so we have a state level fight too.

Steven Potter:
Why is abortion, in your opinion, a state issue rather than a national one?

Eric Hovde:
To think that it’s going to be done at the federal government level is just ridiculous. You’re going to have to have a president, 60 members of the Senate and control of the Congress for either party to try to get something done at a national level. That’s just not going to happen. We’re too divided of a country, and you would have to have 67 senators to get to that spot. So it’s been put back to the states. You know, I think a lot of issues should be dealt with at the states because there’s certain states that may want to have a more expansive view of when an abortion can happen. And there’s certain states and communities that will have a more restrictive view. So I think we should have our own solution here in Wisconsin. I think the people of Wisconsin should decide this.

Steven Potter:
You have run for this office before. In the past, your opinion was different on abortion. Why did your opinion change?

Eric Hovde:
Well, my position was not fully different. I always agreed with exceptions. If you look to Western Europe, it tends to be in that first trimester period. You know, late end of the first trimester, beginning of the second trimester. So I think that’s probably a pretty reasonable time frame. That should give a younger woman that’s placed in this very difficult position a chance to, you know, make a choice.

Tammy Baldwin:
I think that the path forward has to involve keeping politicians and judges out of the delivery room, out of, out of people’s lives. You know, there’s this debate between should the states decide, should the federal government decide? I believe women should decide. And I think, I think there is common ground to be had.