Wisconsin Assembly Bill 237 would ban abortions after 20 weeks “postfertilization,” which doctors would measure as 22 weeks of pregnancy since pregnancies are usually measured from the woman’s last menstrual period. If the bill becomes law, doctors who perform an abortion after this time could be charged with a felony and fined up to $10,000, or face up to three and a half years in prison.
In addition to those penalties, the bill would allow the father to sue the doctor for damages, “including damages for personal injury and emotional and psychological distress,” if the doctor performs or attempts to perform an abortion after the 20-week limit. The man does not need to be married to the woman or even in a relationship with her to sue her doctor, as long as the pregnancy is not a result of sexual assault or incest. The bill also says the woman can sue.
~ Laura Bassett, describing a proposed WI bill that would allow expectant fathers to sue an abortionist for the emotional distress of a partner’s late-term abortion, Huffington Post, June 3
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