Here & Now

Gracie Skogman on the Resumption of Abortions in Wisconsin

Frederica Freyberg:

Anti-abortion advocates who were celebrating this time last year call the news devastating. We turn now to Gracie Skogman, legislative director for Wisconsin Right to Life. Thanks very much for being here.

Gracie Skogman:

Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

Describe why you call this devastating.

Gracie Skogman:

You know, we have seen and met many of these children firsthand who are here today because Roe was overturned and this law was in effect in our state here in Wisconsin. So we can’t help but think of these mothers and their children and how this will impact them. This was a really powerful time in our state to show that we value all preborn life and now it’s very, very different, will be very different on Monday in Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:

How surprised were you by this announcement by Planned Parenthood?

Gracie Skogman:

You know, coming back to this spring, we knew that the election of the new Supreme Court justice would have a very big impact on this fight to protect life, but I think we’re still surprised to see this preemptive decision by Planned Parenthood since this matter is still to be decided by the courts. So that was surprising to us but at the same time, we knew that this battle was going to ramp up after the results of the election.

Frederica Freyberg:

Does Wisconsin Right to Life plan to file any kind of legal challenge against Planned Parenthood now at this point?

Gracie Skogman:

We are currently looking at all options, whether that be legal, legislative, to see what options we have to fight back against this, but I think our most powerful tool is the pregnancy resource centers here in the state, ensuring that they are fully funded and able to provide services to women.

Frederica Freyberg:

So given the shifting public opinion to support abortion, are there any situations that Wisconsin Right to Life would support legal abortions?

Gracie Skogman:

So we have always been in favor of having protections when there’s a medical emergency. We think that’s very important and that’s been consistent through our history at Wisconsin Right to Life and remains our position today.

Frederica Freyberg:

So our recent reporting quoted doctors who said abortion is healthcare and should be the decision of the patient. What do you say to patients who fear that their fetus will suffer or their health and life are at risk without an abortion?

Gracie Skogman:

Again, in the case of a medical emergency, we, you know, understand and believe that there should be that protection in the case of a medical emergency. But when we think about healthcare, ultimately the goal is always to protect life, and we are talking about protecting the most vulnerable life in our society, and that is these unborn children.

Frederica Freyberg:

So you spoke to this a moment ago. What do your attorneys say about whether the Dane County judge’s order that said there is no such thing as an abortion ban in Wisconsin, represents an actual window of legality for the resumption of abortion procedures in this state?

Gracie Skogman:

We certainly believe that the issue has yet to be decided by the courts. I know that it’s expected that this will come before the state Supreme Court and, again, we are surprised by Planned Parenthood taking this action, we think that it is early to resume services when the issue is yet to be decided.

Frederica Freyberg:

So is Wisconsin Right to Life calling on Justice Protasiewicz to recuse from the underlying lawsuit over the 1849 abortion statute?

Gracie Skogman:

We certainly did see throughout her time on the campaign trail that she made her issue, her opinion on this issue very clear, and that is certainly concerning for any sitting justice on the state Supreme Court.

Frederica Freyberg:

Are you asking for her to step aside from that case?

Gracie Skogman:

We’re not commenting on that specifically, but certainly have concerns about how she made her opinions so clear while she was running for that office.

Frederica Freyberg:

Given that Planned Parenthood will start offering abortion services on Monday and they have already been scheduling those appointments and have been taking a lot of calls from people seeking that service, what will that mean for the pregnancy resource centers that, in some cases, are really right next door to Planned Parenthood clinics? How will that change what those resource centers do now?

Gracie Skogman:

The resource centers through the past year in a post-Roe Wisconsin, have truly stepped up. They’re seeing, in many cases, double the clients, and it’s so powerful to see the relationships of trust that they build with these women. These women are not only receiving life-affirming care, but in many cases, they are receiving safe and secure housing, they are receiving other options for comprehensive healthcare. So I think that once the center has built that relationship with a woman, she’s much more likely to come back if she’s in need of support and tell her community about those services. So I think that we will continue to see these pregnancy resource centers see an increase in clients.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Gracie Skogman, thanks very much.

Gracie Skogman:

Thank you.