Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has vowed to use his powers as governor to prevent his state’s century-old abortion ban from being enforced. Evers said late Friday that he will not appoint district attorneys who would enforce the ban and will use his clemency powers to free anyone jailed under the ban, according to the Associated Press. Wisconsin adopted the near total abortion ban in 1849, a year after it became a state, and it was later voided in 1973 when Roe v. Wade deemed abortion a constitutional right. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Friday decision to reverse Roe, Wisconsin’s 1849 law, which lawmakers voted against repealing Wednesday, will enact severe abortion restrictions across the state. Evers also told the AP that he hopes the Wisconsin Justice Department will file a lawsuit to put the ban on hold temporarily.
