Opinion: Eric Hovde’s anti-abortion record shows the importance of re-electing Tammy Baldwin to protect reproductive freedom

Two years following the US Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion rights proves to be a key topic in the US Senate race in Wisconsin. 

This week marked the two-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the horrific Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Before that decision, women in Wisconsin had autonomy over their own reproductive health care. It was women, not their state, not a judge, and not any politician, who made their own decisions about their bodies. 

But two years ago today, the rights and freedoms of women across our state were rolled back by more than a century and a half and we reverted to an 1849 criminal abortion ban, one of the most draconian bans in the country. 

As we approach the 2024 election for US Senate, we face a choice: a choice to restrict women’s reproductive rights further or to restore reproductive freedom across the country.

Eric Hovde, the California bank owner and GOP candidate in the Senate race, has made it crystal clear where he stands. Hovde has said he is “totally opposed to abortion.” Just last week, Hovde reiterated his position, saying he thinks it’s “reasonable” to ban abortion. Hovde celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade when the decision came down and sticks by his support for the overturn today. 

Hovde was also endorsed by an extremist pro-life group whose mission is to make abortion “legally unacceptable” and endorsed Hovde because they said he showed “strong support for federal right-to-life issues.”

If Eric Hovde is elected as our US Senator, he would proudly support an abortion ban and allow states to strip away our rights and freedoms. 

The consequences of abortion bans are reflected in stories like Amanda Eid’s from Texas, who was unable to get an abortion until she developed sepsis. As a result, Amanda now faces uterine scarring that might prevent her from having children in the future. In Ohio, Tara George found out that her baby had fatal health conditions, and the pregnancy put her life at risk. After being denied an abortion in Ohio, Tara had to drive three hours to Michigan to get the care she needed.

Eric Hovde will not protect our freedom to make our own medical decisions.

That’s why we need to reelect Tammy Baldwin. Tammy Baldwin is a fighter for reproductive freedom, and she will defend women’s right to control their own bodies by restoring the rights that women had under Roe. Tammy Baldwin knows that it is women who should be making decisions about their reproductive health care, not anti-choice politicians like Eric Hovde.

Are you ready to vote? Make sure to check your voter registration status, see who’s on your ballot, and make a voting plan here.

Related: What’s the difference between Eric Hovde and Sen. Tammy Baldwin on the issues?