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Walker Wants to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks of Pregnancy

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Gov. Walker issued an "Open Letter on Life", saying he would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks, and expects the Legislature to hand him such a bill.

Walker, a likely Republican contender for president, says he supports a similar ban at the federal level.

Walker's letter:

March 3, 2015 Open Letter on Life Life is a value I learned from my parents, and it’s a value I have cherished every day, predating my time in politics. My policies throughout my career have earned a 100% rating with pro-life groups in Wisconsin. Just in my first term I signed numerous pieces of pro-life legislation and I will continue working for every life. In my past four years as governor, we have made substantial progress in the fight for our pro-life values in Wisconsin. We defunded Planned Parenthood. We prohibited abortion from being covered by health plans in a health exchange. We passed legislation assuring the women and their unborn child are better protected under law – through placing stringent requirements on medical professionals and requiring the provision of thorough and vital information to the mother. As the Wisconsin legislature moves forward in the coming session, further protections for mother and child are likely to come to my desk in the form of a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. I will sign that bill when it gets to my desk and support similar legislation on the federal level. I was raised to believe in the sanctity of life and I will always fight to protect it. Sincerely, Governor Scott Walker

When the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, in the Roe v. Wade case, the justices said states could limit the procedure in cases where the fetus would likely survive outside the womb.