MILWAUKEE — The Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade comes during a very active political year and Wisconsin voters have a lot to consider ahead of the midterm election.
The ruling means that the abortion ban in Wisconsin, enacted in 1849, is now in effect. That law says women can only have an abortion if going through the pregnancy, having the baby would kill the mother.
Voters on both sides of the issue tell TMJ4 News that they're fired up right now and at least one local political expert says it is still too soon to know if the ruling will have a big impact on voter turnout this upcoming fall.
"I'm angry, I'm frustrated, I feel like its not fair," said Princess Davis. She is a voter who is pro-abortion rights.
On the other side of the issue, voters say they're thrilled.
"I am very excited and I hope we continue to move in that direction. I think it's a healthier place to be and I think the unborn babies have a right to life," said Bridget Koch, an Anti-Abortion rights voter. "The abortion having been federalized is not the way it should be. It should be a state decision, and so that's just what the Supreme Court did. They put it back to the states."
Whether this is the start of the so-called "Red Wave," or the re-energizing of those who support Democrats, some voters say they're extremely curious to see how the Supreme Court's decision will impact campaigning ahead of the upcoming election.
"I'd like to hear more, certainly now, how a senator like Ron Johnson is going to continue to vote for radical transformation at the Supreme Court level," said Mike Bauer. He supports Abortion rights.
"I think people are starting to step into their power more as citizens, so hopefully that will show up in the elections," said voter Emily S.
Dr. Kathleen Dolan, a distinguished professor of political science at UW-Milwaukee, says it may be too soon to know how much of an impact this decision will have at the polls with fall.
"It is June and the election is in November. We know that people's attention spans go up and down and we could have other crises between now and then," said Dolan. "We already in Wisconsin have a lot going on in the midterms. We've got the Governor's race, we've got senator Ron Johnson's re-election campaign."
She agrees it will be critical to watch how those running for office will move forward with their campaigns.
"To the degree that the issue is in the public view all the way to November, that can only increase its motivating power for voters," she said.
Meanwhile, in the immediate aftermath of this landmark ruling, it's clear that people on all sides of the issue are anxious to see how the rest of this election season will go, as calls for people to get out and vote grows boldly.
"I think right now this shows we have the power to do something about it and if we just sit back and let it happen then why are we even here? Why are we out here? Everyone needs to get out and vote," said Princess Davis.
