Wis. GOP Makes Mockery Of Governor’s Request For Abortion Referendum

AP: Wisconsin Senate Convened For 15 Seconds, To Gavel In And Adjourn Special Session Called By Evers
Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature took mere seconds on Tuesday to reject Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ call to create a way for voters to get a chance to repeal the state’s 1849 abortion ban, even as Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson voiced support for letting the people decide the issue. The move by Evers is the latest by Democrats in the battleground state to turn the Nov. 8 election into a referendum on abortion. But Evers’ opponent Tim Michels, Johnson and other Republicans are focusing instead on crime and public safety in arguing that Democrats have failed to keep the state safe. (Bauer, 10/4)

ABC News: Arizona Medical Association Files Lawsuit Seeking Clarity Over Abortion Laws
The Arizona Medical Association and a physician filed a lawsuit Tuesday, asking a court to provide clarity amid what they say is "significant confusion" over the state's abortion laws. (El-Bawab and DiMartino, 10/5)

Houston Chronicle: Federal Judge Orders Texas AG Ken Paxton To Testify In Abortion Fund Suit
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to testify in a lawsuit over the ability of abortion funds to help people access the procedure in states where it's still legal. (Goldenstein, 10/4)

The ACLU receives a $3 million gift from Sheryl Sandberg —

Bloomberg: Sheryl Sandberg Donates $3 Million For ACLU’s Abortion Fight 
Sheryl Sandberg, who once sparred with the American Civil Liberties Union, is now one of its biggest benefactors, providing a $3 million grant to boost its political activities around access to abortion. “This is as important as any civil liberty a woman can have, which is the right to control her own medical path, the right to choose when she has children,” the former Meta Platforms Inc. chief operating officer, who has three teenage daughters, said in a Zoom interview from California last week. (Larson, 10/4)

In election updates on the issue of abortion —

Politico: Walker’s Team Knew Of An Abortion Allegation Months Before It Surfaced 
Months before news broke alleging that Herschel Walker paid for an abortion, top Republicans in the state — including those advising his team — warned him that the story could torpedo his campaign. Four people with knowledge of those preliminary discussions said that the abortion issue was well known within the state, even before reporters began inquiring about it. (McGraw, Allisonand Stein, 10/4)

Bangor Daily News: Paul LePage Says He’d Veto 15-Week Abortion Ban In Debate With Janet Mills
Former Gov. Paul LePage said he would veto a 15-week abortion ban in a first debate with Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday that featured feisty exchanges on the economy and the opioid crisis ahead of their high-profile November election. (Shepherd, 10/4)

AP: Kari Lake Walks Back 'Rare And Legal' Abortion Comment
A spokesman for Kari Lake said Tuesday the Republican candidate for Arizona governor didn’t mean to suggest abortion should be legal, saying she’s not calling for changes to abortion laws weeks after a judge ruled that prosecutors can enforce a near-total ban on terminating pregnancies. In her most expansive comments on abortion since the ruling last month, Lake told a Phoenix talk radio host that it should be “rare and legal” before saying twice that it should be “rare but safe.” Ross Trumble, a spokesman for Lake, said she meant to say only “rare but safe.” (Cooper, 10/4)

Roll Call: Midterm State Races See Increased Emphasis On Abortion Post-Roe
Democratic candidates are ramping up messaging on reproductive health in races for governor and attorney general as they capitalize on renewed interest in protecting access to abortion and contraception ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. (Raman, 10/4)