>> We'll see what happens. Mordecai Lee, thank you very
much. >> In the race for U.S. Senate
in Wisconsin, the latest Marquette Law Poll showed
incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin up 52% to 47% over Republican
challenger Eric Hovde. The issue of abortion in the race is front
and center, and it's fast moving. The Wisconsin Supreme
Court is reportedly poised to take up a lawsuit that seeks to
declare that access to abortion is a right protected by the
state constitution. As health care providers and patients
still face legal uncertainty when it comes to abortion.
Reporter Stephen Potter is covering the U.S. Senate race.
He asked candidates Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde about
their stance and the future of abortion access.
>> I am pro-choice, I believe that politicians and judges
shouldn't be, a part of, women's health care. And, I am appalled
to see what has happened to folks since the US Supreme Court
overturned Roe versus Wade and the Dobbs decision two years
ago. ty of
life. I was blessed with two daughters and three
grandchildren. And I agree with exception for rape, incest and
the health of the mother, I also believe early on in a woman's
pregnancy, she should have a right to choose. But there comes
a time when a baby B can be born healthy and alive that it's
unconscionable to terminate that baby.
to be both a national and a state path, at
the National level, we need to pass my women's health
Protection Act. That act would codify Roe versus Wade. But take
the very necessary additional step of telling states like
Wisconsin and Texas and Florida and all these states you've been
reading about that you can't at the state level, burden access
to abortion care, that's inconsistent with Roe versus
Wade. That's what the Women's Health Protection Act would do.
I'm the lead of that on that bill, and we must advance that
at the national level, at the state level, not only does
Wisconsin have, this ban that was criminal abortion ban that
was passed in 1849. We have a lot of other restrictions that
are unnecessary, mandatory ultrasound, 24 hour waiting
period. Those burden people's access to health care. And that
shouldn't be the case. And so we have a state level fight.
>> 2 y is abortion, in your opinion, a state issue rather
than a national one? >> 2 think that it's going to be
done at the federal government level is just ridiculous. You're
going to have to have a president, 60 members of the
Senate and control of the Congress for either party to try
to get something done at a national level. That's just not
going to happen. We're too divided of a country, and you
would have to have 67 senators to get to that spot. So it's
been put back to the states. You know, I think a lot of issues
should be dealt with at the states because there's certain
states that may want to have a more expansive view of when an
abortion can happen. And there's certain states and communities
that will have a more restrictive view. So I think we
should have our own solution here in Wisconsin. I think the
people of Wisconsin should decide this.
for this office before in the past, your opinion
was different on abortion. Why did your opinion change?
>> well, my position was not fully different. I always agreed
with exceptions. If you look to Western Europe, it tends to be
in that first trimester period. You know, late end of the first
trimester, beginning of the second trimester. So I think
that's probably a pretty reasonable time frame that
should give a younger woman that's placed in this very
difficult position a chance to, you know, make a choice.
>> I think that, the path forward has to involve keeping
politicians and judges out of the delivery room, out of out of
people's lives, you know, there's this debate between
should the states decide, should the federal government decide? I
believe women should decide. And I think, I think there is common