WISCONSIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — If the Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe v. Wade, the laws surrounding abortion in Wisconsin could be in the hands of state lawmakers.
With midterm elections approaching, some state lawmakers, like Rep. Gordon Hintz, a Democrat from Oshkosh, says he thinks the issue could impact engagement and motivation from voters in November.
“Just based on the initial response, I think people take for granted that there’s only so far our country will bend one way or another. And this seems pretty dramatic given that for decades, we’ve said this was settled law. The issue over access is on the edges, but I think for some it will be about the specific issue, and what it means to women’s rights and reproductive health. For others, it may just be about, these people seem serious, today it’s abortion health, tomorrow it’s gay marriage, interracial marriage, there are a lot of things that fall under the same argument that they’re using it sounds like to strike down Roe v. Wade, that’s going to turn a lot of things back to states,” Rep. Hintz said.
Other lawmakers say they think the upcoming election will be determined by other issues.
“The people who are going to come out to vote on abortion, I believe were already going to come out and vote. The pro-lifers, the pro-choicers, they were going to be at the polls no matter what anyway. I think November is going to be determined by those pocketbook issues of hyperinflation, interest rates rising, potential down-turning in the economy, that’s what’s going to motivate people in the end. So while I do think it will be a big issue, it’s not going to be the reason people come out and vote in November,” State Senator Roger Roth, a Republican from Appleton said.
Christine Smith is a professor of psychology, with focuses in women’s and gender studies at UW- Green Bay.
Smith says she hopes this will encourage more students to vote.
“I think for a lot of our students, they don’t always get the importance of voting. So sometimes an issue that really arouses them or personally affects them is something that potentially could do that,” Smith said.
Wisconsinites will vote for a governor, and a U.S. Senate seat in November, among other partisan races.
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