2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-0966/1
SWB:cjs&wlj
October 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Goeben, Gustafson, Brill, Maxey, Penterman, Murphy, Allen, Gundrum, Piwowarczyk, B. Jacobson, Tusler, Tittl, O'Connor, Kreibich, Dittrich, Behnke, Knodl, Armstrong, Green, Mursau and Hurd, cosponsored by Senators Quinn, Jacque, Jagler, Tomczyk, Wanggaard, Marklein, Bradley and Nass. Referred to Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care.
AB546,1,8
1An Act to renumber 48.375 (2) (a), 69.01 (13m) and 253.10 (2) (a); to 2renumber and amend 20.927 (1g), 939.75 (2) (a) and 940.15 (1); to amend 3253.10 (2) (h); to create 20.927 (1g) (a) 2., 20.927 (1g) (b), 20.927 (1g) (c), 420.927 (1g) (d), 48.375 (2) (a) 2., 48.375 (2) (bm), 48.375 (2) (dm), 48.375 (2) (f), 569.01 (1m), 69.01 (9), 69.01 (13m) (b), 69.01 (16p), 253.10 (2) (a) 2., 253.10 (2) 6(bm), 253.10 (2) (cm), 253.10 (2) (dm), 939.75 (2) (a) 1., 939.75 (2) (a) 2., 939.75 7(2) (a) 4., 940.15 (1) (a), 940.15 (1) (b), 940.15 (1) (c) and 940.15 (1) (d) of the 8statutes; relating to: limitations on the definition of abortion. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill amends the definition of abortion, for purposes of requiring voluntary and informed consent for abortions, to except from the definition of abortion a physician’s performance of a medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic, anembryonic, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the gestational age of the child. The definition of abortion that applies for purposes of requiring voluntary and informed consent for abortions also applies to certain other abortion-related provisions, including prohibitions on funding for abortion-related activities, limitations on the prescription and use of abortion-inducing drugs, and the prohibition on abortion if the probable postfertilization age of the unborn child is 20 or more weeks. The bill makes the same change to the definition of abortion or induced abortion in other abortion-related provisions, including prohibitions on the subsidy of abortion, parental consent requirements for performance or inducement of an abortion on or for an unemancipated minor, induced abortion reporting requirements, and the exemption of induced abortion from certain crimes relating to death or harm to an unborn child.
The bill further specifies that, for purposes of a statutory provision prohibiting, with certain exceptions, abortion after a fetus or unborn child reaches viability, abortion does not include a physician’s performance of a medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic, anembryonic, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the gestational age of the child.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB546,1
1Section 1. 20.927 (1g) of the statutes is renumbered 20.927 (1g) (intro.) and 2amended to read: AB546,2,3320.927 (1g) (intro.) In this section, “abortion”: AB546,2,54(a) 1. “Abortion” means the intentional destruction of the life of an unborn 5child, and “unborn child”. AB546,2,76(f) “Unborn child” means a human being from the time of conception 7fertilization until it is born alive birth. AB546,28Section 2. 20.927 (1g) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read: AB546,3,10
120.927 (1g) (a) 2. “Abortion” does not include a physician’s performance of a 2medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a 3pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an 4early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the 5removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic pregnancy, anembryonic 6pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s 7unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the 8circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child 9according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the 10gestational age of the child. AB546,311Section 3. 20.927 (1g) (b) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,3,141220.927 (1g) (b) “Anembryonic pregnancy” means a pregnancy in which 13implantation occurs, but the embryo fails to develop, and the gestational sac and 14placenta grow, but the gestational sac remains empty. AB546,415Section 4. 20.927 (1g) (c) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,3,171620.927 (1g) (c) “Ectopic pregnancy” means a pregnancy in which the embryo 17implants outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube. AB546,518Section 5. 20.927 (1g) (d) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,3,211920.927 (1g) (d) “Molar pregnancy” means an abnormal pregnancy that occurs 20when a sperm fertilizes an egg that does not contain any genetic material and that 21cannot develop normally. AB546,622Section 6. 48.375 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 48.375 (2) (a) 1. AB546,723Section 7. 48.375 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,92448.375 (2) (a) 2. “Abortion” does not include a physician’s performance of a
1medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a 2pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an 3early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the 4removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic pregnancy, anembryonic 5pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s 6unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the 7circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child 8according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the 9gestational age of the child. AB546,810Section 8. 48.375 (2) (bm) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,121148.375 (2) (bm) “Anembryonic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 12(1g) (b). AB546,913Section 9. 48.375 (2) (dm) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,151448.375 (2) (dm) “Ectopic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) 15(c). AB546,1016Section 10. 48.375 (2) (f) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,171748.375 (2) (f) “Molar pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) (d). AB546,1118Section 11. 69.01 (1m) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,201969.01 (1m) “Anembryonic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) 20(b). AB546,1221Section 12. 69.01 (9) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,4,222269.01 (9) “Ectopic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) (c). AB546,1323Section 13. 69.01 (13m) of the statutes is renumbered 69.01 (13m) (a). AB546,1424Section 14. 69.01 (13m) (b) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,5,10
169.01 (13m) (b) “Induced abortion” does not include a physician’s 2performance of a medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent 3the death of a pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn 4child, including an early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical 5emergency or the removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic pregnancy, 6anembryonic pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of 7the woman’s unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts 8under the circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her 9unborn child according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate 10interventions for the gestational age of the child. AB546,1511Section 15. 69.01 (16p) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,5,121269.01 (16p) “Molar pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) (d). AB546,1613Section 16. 253.10 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 253.10 (2) (a) 1. AB546,1714Section 17. 253.10 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read: AB546,5,2415253.10 (2) (a) 2. “Abortion” does not include a physician’s performance of a 16medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a 17pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an 18early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the 19removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic pregnancy, anembryonic 20pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s 21unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the 22circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child 23according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the 24gestational age of the child. AB546,18
1Section 18. 253.10 (2) (bm) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,6,32253.10 (2) (bm) “Anembryonic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 3(1g) (b). AB546,194Section 19. 253.10 (2) (cm) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,6,65253.10 (2) (cm) “Ectopic pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) 6(c). AB546,207Section 20. 253.10 (2) (dm) of the statutes is created to read: AB546,6,88253.10 (2) (dm) “Molar pregnancy” has the meaning given in s. 20.927 (1g) (d). AB546,219Section 21. 253.10 (2) (h) of the statutes is amended to read: AB546,6,1010253.10 (2) (h) “Viability” has the meaning given in s. 940.15 (1) (e). AB546,2211Section 22. 939.75 (2) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 939.75 (2) (a) (intro.) 12and amended to read: AB546,6,1313939.75 (2) (a) (intro.) In this subsection, “induced abortion”: AB546,7,3143. “Induced abortion” means the use of any instrument, medicine, drug or 15other substance or device in a medical procedure with the intent to terminate the 16pregnancy of a woman and with an intent other than to increase the probability of 17a live birth, to preserve the life or health of the infant after live birth or to remove a 18dead fetus. “Induced abortion” does not include a physician’s performance of a 19medical procedure or treatment designed or intended to prevent the death of a 20pregnant woman and not designed or intended to kill the unborn child, including an 21early induction or cesarean section performed due to a medical emergency or the 22removal of a dead embryo or dead fetus, or an ectopic pregnancy, anembryonic 23pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, which results in injury to or death of the woman’s 24unborn child when the physician makes reasonable medical efforts under the
1circumstances to preserve both the life of the woman and the life of her unborn child 2according to reasonable medical judgment and appropriate interventions for the 3gestational age of the child. AB546,234Section 23. 939.75 (2) (a) 1. of the statutes is created to read:
