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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Senate Bill 298

Eliminating certain abortion prohibitions

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    May 18, 2023

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Licensing, Constitution and Federalism. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill repeals a statute that provides that any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty of a Class H felony.

“Unborn child" is defined in the statute as a human being from the time of conception until born alive. The statute also provides that any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn quick child or causes the mother's death by an act done with intent to destroy the life of an unborn child is guilty of a Class E felony. None of these penalties apply to a therapeutic abortion that is performed by a physician; is necessary, or advised by two other physicians as necessary, to save the life of the mother; and, unless an emergency prevents, is performed in a licensed maternity hospital.

Read the full summary

This statute was previously held to be unenforceable. It was cited in Roe v.

Wade , 410 U.S. 113 (1973), as similar to a Texas statute that was held to violate the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The unenforceability of the statute following the Roe v. Wade decision was noted in a subsequent decision by a federal district court, Larkin v. McCann , 368 F. Supp. 1352 (E.D. Wis. 1974). In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org.

, 142 S. Ct. 2228 (2022).

Litigation concerning the status of the statute is currently pending in state court.

Kaul v. Urmanski , No. 22-CV-1594 (Wis. Dane Cty. Cir. Ct. 2022).

Who's behind it

11 senators are its ⁠. All 11 are Democrats.

35 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 46 names

Authors (11)

Signed on in support (35)

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. May 18, 2023

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Licensing, Constitution and Federalism.

  3. May 18, 2023

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. May 18, 2023 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Roys, Agard, Carpenter, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Larson, Pfaff, Smith, Spreitzer, Taylor and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Subeck, Emerson, C. Anderson, J. Anderson, Andraca, Baldeh, Bare, Billings, Cabrera, Clancy, Conley, Considine, Doyle, Drake, Goyke, Haywood, Hong, Jacobson, Joers, Madison, McGuire, Moore Omokunde, Myers, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Riemer, Shankland, Shelton, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Stubbs and Vining

  2. May 18, 2023 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Licensing, Constitution and Federalism

  3. Apr 15, 2024 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary