Republican Eric Toney Goes Next Level In Anti-Choice Extremism

Republican nominee for Governor Tim Michels has called his position on abortion “an exact mirror” of the state’s draconian 1849 law. Republican Ron Johnson, who has sponsored multiple national abortion ban proposals, has said Wisconsin women “can move” if they need to seek reproductive health care in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Pretty extreme and very outside the mainstream in terms of where Wisconsin voters are.

Which makes what Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney – the Republican nominee for Attorney General – had to say in his first debate against Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul a real ‘hold my beer’ moment.

Toney has previously said he would enforce Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law that bans abortions even in cases of rape or incest. Sunday, he went even further than that, suggesting he would support District Attorneys prosecuting doctors across county lines for performing an abortion for any reason. 

In Wisconsin, District Attorneys jurisdiction is limited to their own county unless a neighboring county specifically requests assistance on a prosecution of any kind.

This dramatic escalation of how abortion could be criminalized in Wisconsin if Republicans win the fall election’s drew immediate rejoinders from defenders of women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions.

Democratic Party spokeswoman Marnie O’Malley charged Toney was “eager to enforce our state’s draconian 1849 abortion ban.” “With the future of reproductive rights on the line, it is more important than ever to elect candidates who will champion those rights and protect our health,” added Steven Webb, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. “We do have champions fighting for the reproductive rights of Wisconsinites, we simply must elect them.”