Officials investigate about 400 pregnant people a year for alleged ‘unborn child abuse’ under Act 292. Critics say that can do more harm than good.
Author Archives: Phoebe Petrovic / Wisconsin Watch
Phoebe Petrovic is an investigative reporter at Wisconsin Watch and a 2022-2023 Law & Justice Journalism Project fellow. As a Report for America corps member from 2019-2022, Petrovic reported, produced, and hosted "Open and Shut," a podcast series co-published with Wisconsin Public Radio examining the power of prosecutors. Petrovic previously worked at WPR as a Lee Ester News Fellow, “Reveal” from the Center for Investigative Reporting as an editorial intern and NPR's "Here & Now" as a temporary producer. Her work has aired nationally on all of NPR's flagship news magazines. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Yale University.
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin’s law on substance use in pregnancy is wrong, leading doctors say
Practitioners say substance use during pregnancy should be treated like any other medical issue — not as a crime.
Posted inDemocracy on the Ballot, Government
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric roils Wisconsin, providing political fuel for the right
The ‘parental rights’ movement is upending school board races, leading to book banning — and a growing sense of dread among the small number of children who are gay or transgender
Posted inDemocracy on the Ballot, Government
Thousands of eligible Wisconsin voters face ballot barriers in jail
While many incarcerated people retain the constitutional right to vote, Wisconsin counties can do more to ensure that right can be exercised.
Posted inDemocracy on the Ballot, Government
Wisconsin candidates sharply divided along partisan lines on abortion rights
This year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade has elevated abortion as a key election issue. ‘Personhood’ may be the next battle.
Posted inDemocracy on the Ballot, Government
How Wisconsin’s abortion interest groups decide to endorse candidates
Wisconsin Watch checked the candidates on the ballot in the 2022 general election against endorsements from major groups supporting and opposing abortion rights.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Wisconsin doctors split on whether risky child pregnancies warrant life-saving exception
Under Wisconsin’s near-total abortion ban, the physical and psychological risks of pregnancy and childbirth for young teenagers and girls present new challenges.
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin’s 173-year-old ban allows only life-saving ‘therapeutic abortions.’ No one knows what that means.
Physicians criticize the law as outdated, vague and severe. Health systems are scrambling to guide them on how to stay out of criminal trouble.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Welfare
Wisconsin faces a ‘tangled series’ of abortion laws dating back to 1849 as it heads into a possible post-Roe future
Top GOP lawmakers remain mum on plans if the constitutional right to an abortion is overturned — and state law banning nearly all abortions takes effect.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Welfare
Are abortions ever medically necessary? Wisconsin doctors say yes.
Life-threatening conditions can develop or be exacerbated during pregnancy — and childbirth itself is high risk for some patients, they say.
Posted inJustice & Safety, Open and Shut
Deals Vince Biskupic made as a prosecutor and judge raise questions of fairness in Wisconsin’s justice system
As Outagamie County district attorney, Biskupic let potential defendants buy their way out of trouble. As a judge, he offered deals that fell in a ‘gray area’ of the law.
Posted inJustice & Safety, Open and Shut
Wisconsin prosecutor campaigned on his record — but some high-profile cases had hidden flaws
One of Outagamie County District Attorney Vince Biskupic’s cases involved a rewritten police report; another, an exoneration.