Will Tim Michels Support A Voter Decided Referendum on Abortion? Past Radical Comments Indicate That He Will Not.
MADISON, Wis. — Today, Governor Evers called for a Special Session that proposes a pathway to repeal the archaic and restrictive 1849 ban on abortion, by creating a process for voter referendums. Tim Michels has unsurprisingly been silent on the proposal and, given his past comments, is expected to oppose a process led by the will of the people because of his extremist views on abortion.
Michels has said the 1849 ban on abortion that doesn’t include exceptions for rape or incest is “an exact mirror” of his position and that he will not “soften” his stance on it. He has also acknowledged that he previously opposed an exception to save the life of the mother, and said he would hold his extreme views “until the bitter end.” Even worse, Michels’ family’s foundation donated to a group that tracked the cell phone data of women who visit abortion clinics, and his personal foundation gave to a group seeking to eliminate the life of the mother exception from the 1849 ban, and ban birth control and IVF.
His stance is far more extreme than that of the majority of Wisconsinites. A recent Marquette poll showed that not only do 65% of Wisconsinites believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, but that 79% of Republicans also agree that abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest.
“Tim Michels has been straightforward in that he believes in the most extreme bans on abortion no matter what the public wants,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “His contempt for the will of the people of Wisconsin is clear– he won’t even commit to letting their vote for president count in 2024, so why would he be supportive of a process that allows voters to decide to repeal the 1849 abortion ban?”
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