A small group of protesters gathered outside Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) house in Wauwatosa on Tuesday, to show their opposition to a mandatory ultrasound bill passed last month amid controversy and over vocal opposition from state Democrats.
The demonstration was organized by a group that has called for Walker to "focus on jobs, not vaginas." It reportedly drew around 20 people, mostly women, who have been pressuring Walker to veto the anti-abortion legislation that he has said he intends to sign.
“One thing I know you won’t find in women’s vaginas is 250,000 jobs,” Jennifer Epps-Addison told the Wisconsin Reporter. “We are losing economic security for our residents and we believe our Legislature should be focused on creating opportunities for jobs, and not on regulating women’s vaginas.”
Walker famously made a pledge in 2010 while running for office to create a quarter-million jobs in his first term. Recent figures have shown him falling short of that figure, having created under 50,000 new jobs since taking office.
Under the ultrasound bill, women would be required to undergo an ultrasound before receiving an abortion, a process that is not medically necessary, according to professionals. Technicians would then be required to describe the size, location and number of fetuses, as well as identify any viewable internal organs or external features. While a transvaginal ultrasound isn't mandated, opponents of the legislation argue that it would be the only way to get an accurate reading for anyone seeking an abortion before 12 weeks into a pregnancy. The law would also enact new restrictions on abortion clinics, potentially shuttering a number of facilities.
While the Wisconsin movement is smaller and less boisterous than the one that turned out against anti-abortion legislation in Texas last week, opponents of the ultrasound bill have been busy. Last month, eight were arrested at the Wisconsin state capitol after trying to deliver coat hangers to the offices of lawmakers who supported the bill.
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