Sen. Ron Johnson (R.-Wisconsin), stated that Republicans might consider a nationwide ban of abortion if they are elected to control Congress in the next midterm elections.
Johnson spoke to reporters at an interview with The Washington County Daily News that he “completely agree[s]” with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. WadeEnsure that abortion protections are upheld across the country
“I’ve written up pretty much all I need to say on that decision,” he said, adding that he believes the matter should be decided on by states.
But Johnson also raised the possibility of a Republican-controlled Congress enacting a nationwide abortion ban in the future.
“Maybe Congress can take a look at what the states have done and say ‘we probably ought to place this limit here,’ based on new information or whatever,” he said.
Johnson, who is up to reelection in the fall, is currently behind his Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. According to a recent survey, Mandela Barnes leads Johnson by seven points. Marquette University Law School poll.
Abortion will likely play a pivotal role in Wisconsin’s senatorial election this fall, as Johnson’s views on abortion contradict the views of most of his constituents. According to the same poll, 66% of Wisconsinites believe that abortion should be legal in all or most instances, while only 30% believe it should.
Johnson’s voting record in favor of abortion restrictions and his past statements on the issue — including bragging about helping to appoint the justices that undid Roe — could prove to be a liability in the upcoming election.
Due to the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year, Wisconsin has reverted back to an 1849 statute on abortionThe law bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy. The law states that residents can only have an abortion if their health and safety are at risk.
Numerous Republican lawmakers have spoken out about the possibility of imposing national bans on abortionIf the party wins control of Congress during the midterms. Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader (R-California), has expressed interest in imposing an abortion ban nationwide for 15 weeks. Other GOP lawmakers are currently drafting proposals to ban the procedure once there is any signs of cardiac activity. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky He also supports a nationwide ban.
Republicans could be hurt at the ballot box this fall if they hold anti-abortion views. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll (KFF), July, 55 percent of Americans say that abortion access is a “very important” issue for them in deciding which candidate to vote for, while 19 percent say it is a “somewhat important” issue. Only 25 percent say it is “not too important.”
Democrats have been exploring the possibility for a nationwide ban on abortions in their campaign messaging, including Johnson’s opponent, Barnes.
“Ron Johnson just came out in favor of a federal abortion ban,” Barnes’s campaign said on Twitter last week. Johnson is “doing everything he can to drag us back in time” to strip people “of their rights and freedoms, he added.
