June 2022 Special Session1:34 P.M. WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2022
The Assembly met in the Assembly Chamber located in the State Capitol.
Speaker Pro Tempore August in the chair.
The Assembly dispensed with the call of the roll.
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Executive Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
Madison
Executive Order Number 168
Relating to a Special Session of the Legislature to Protect Reproductive Rights and Healthcare Access
WHEREAS, Wisconsin is among several states across the country with an existing criminal statute that criminalizes nearly all abortions, including a criminal ban on abortions in instances of rape and incest or where the health of the mother is at risk;
WHEREAS, this archaic law dating back to 1849, while currently unenforceable, could once again be used to limit reproductive healthcare privacy and freedom based on the potential repeal of Roe v. Wade and other related cases that have been settled law for decades;
WHEREAS, the protections that people in this state have relied upon for nearly 50 years are in peril, and without swift action, so many people – our neighbors, parents, families, and friends – could soon be unable to access the healthcare they need and deserve;
WHEREAS, every single Wisconsinite should be able to get the healthcare they need when they need it, including having the opportunity to make deeply personal decisions about their reproductive health in consultation with their family, faith, and doctor, and without interference by politicians;
WHEREAS, licensed healthcare professionals should be able to provide appropriate, evidence-based medical advice to patients making reproductive healthcare decisions without fear of intimidation or criminal prosecution, and politicians should not interfere with the relationship between a patient and their doctor; and
WHEREAS, in light of the imminent possibility the rights upon which Wisconsinites have relied for decades could be jeopardized by a forthcoming court ruling, the Wisconsin State Legislature must immediately pass the Abortion Rights Preservation Act to protect access to reproductive rights and healthcare in the state of Wisconsin.
NOW THEREFORE, I, TONY EVERS, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State, specifically Article IV, Section 11 and Article V, Section 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution, hereby require the convening of a special session of the Legislature at the Capitol in the City of Madison, to commence at 12:00 pm on June 22, 2022, solely to consider and act upon LRB-6340/1 and LRB-6342/1, relating to eliminating certain abortion prohibitions.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done in the City of Milwaukee this eighth day of June in the year of two thousand twenty-two.
TONY EVERS
Governor
By the Governor:
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
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Adjournment
Representative Petersen moved that the Assembly stand adjourned pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
The question was: Shall the Assembly stand adjourned?
Motion carried.
The Assembly stood adjourned.
1:35 P.M.
