Update: Sign the petition to keep this group from having their day-long event at the Capitol, here. 

Public officials have a responsibility to not encourage dangerous, violent, or unlawful actions and sentiments.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what Wisconsin State Assembly Representative Chuck Wichgers is doing. Madison NOW is disgusted to learn that he is encouraging fellow elected officials to join him at an event organized by Matthew Trewhella’s fringe group Abolish Abortion Wisconsin.

Abolish Abortion Wisconsin is an extremist group that advocates for women who have abortions to be treated as murderers under the law. Their objective is an absolute ban on abortion.

Trewhella had previously embraced violent means for achieving an end to abortion access, having signed the Defensive Action Statement which declares the murder of abortion providers as justifiable.

He calls for legislators to openly to defy laws he considers to be “unjust/immoral”, including legal abortion care. Abolish Abortion Wisconsin’s website has a resolution “Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates” which states that elected officials have a duty to ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade protecting legal abortion access. The resolution further calls for people who’ve obtained abortions to be tried as murderers.

“Madison NOW finds it unconscionable that an elected official would not only support this group through attending their event, but also encourage other public servants to do the same,” said Madison NOW president Lindsay Lemmer. “This group has a very dangerous and violent platform, and it has now been lent credibility and validation through the open support and promotion of Representative Wichgers. Wisconsin women deserve so much better than this.”