Democrats Pfaff and Hesselbein meet with women to discuss reproductive rights

This month marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which allowed nationwide abortion rights.

Now, each state must decide what reproductive rights it will allow.

Two Wisconsin state senators met Tuesday in La Crosse with women who represent Planned Parenthood and others who have personal concerns about their rights.

Senators Brad Pfaff and Dianne Hesselbein had a roundtable discussion with these women at the Black River Beach Neighborhood Center.

Pfaff (D-Onalaska) represents the La Crosse-area 32nd District, while Hesselbein (D-Madison) is from the 27th District.

“We are only one of two states in the country that does not allow Medicaid for postpartum women,” Pfaff said. “We only allow it for 60 days, and in the other states in this union, except Arkansas, it’s for a year.”

Pfaff wants Wisconsin to offer the same benefits that most other states can offer to women giving birth, pointing out that Democratic lawmakers in Madison have passed bills to codify Roe vs. Wade.

“We absolutely must move forward to protect privacy and the right to contraceptive services,” he said.

Pfaff added that nothing is stopping the state Legislature from returning to session before the election to pass new laws addressing reproductive rights.

The state Legislature has been closed since mid-March — except for one day last month, failing to override the governor’s vetoes, in part because only the state Senate has debated it — and is not expected to resume its sessions before the election with potential new lawmakers in January. .