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Wisconsin Assembly Approves Bill Adding Restrictions to Parental Consent Abortion Law

The Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday approved 61-34 a bill (AB 175) that would further restrict minors’ access to abortion, the AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Under current state law, minors seeking abortion are required to obtain written consent from a parent, guardian, adult family member or foster parent. Minors can request a waiver by petitioning a court, members of the clergy can request a court waiver on behalf of a minor and psychiatrists or psychologists can provide a waiver if they determine a minor is more likely to attempt suicide rather than seek consent. The new measure would grant only a custodial parent or legal guardian the authority to consent to abortion for minors and would require them to sign a consent form in the presence of a public notary. The bill also would bar members of the clergy from petitioning the court on behalf of a minor and eliminate the option of a waiver from a psychiatrist or psychologist. The bill now moves to the state Senate. If approved, Gov. Jim Doyle (D) said he would veto the bill, according to a spokesperson. “Wisconsin already has a strong parental consent law, and it is working,” Doyle spokesperson Dan Leistikow said. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, 737 Wisconsin minors received abortions in 2003. In 62 of those cases, the minor received permission from an adult family member, an option that would be eliminated under the bill (Ross, AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press, 11/1).

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