Higgins discusses Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law with WXPR

Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, director of the UW Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and director of the Division of Reproductive and Population Health, joined WXPR to talk about the future of Wisconsin’s abortion law from 1849.

In “WI Supreme Court hears case on 1849 law that could impact abortion in the state,” Higgins discussed the history of abortion legislation in the state, and the effects of the Dobbs Decision on this law. Higgins also talked about how abortion access intersects with poverty and racism, making it harder for marginalized people to receive them.

In the future, Higgins hopes federal lawmakers will look closer at the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion, amending it to consider the economic barriers to abortion care.

“Those effects make it much harder for folks to be able to access contraceptive care, be in relationships that are stable and healthy and communicative, to be able to see past the end of the day into one's future if you are, again, mostly focused on your own economic scarcity or figuring out how to feed your kids, or figuring out how not to get evicted,” Higgins said.

You can read the full article here.

**by Ob-Gyn Communications Intern Paige Stevenson