Wisconsin's Abortion Ban Ruled Unconstitutional, Paving Way for Supreme Court Case

A judge in Wisconsin has ruled that a 174-year-old law does not prohibit abortions, setting the stage for a potential Supreme Court case. The law in question, written in 1849, was determined to apply to feticide rather than consensual abortions. With this ruling, Wisconsin returns to its pre-Dobbs abortion laws, which ban abortion 20 weeks after "probable fertilization." Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights advocates see the ruling as a step forward in expanding access to abortion, while anti-abortion proponents express disappointment and hope for an appeal. The case is expected to reach the state Supreme Court, which now has a liberal majority.