Evers promises to veto Republican-backed abortion bill

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers says he will veto a Republican-authored bill that could send doctors to prison for life if they fail to give medical care to babies born alive after a failed abortion attempt.

The Democratic Evers tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a story published Tuesday that he won’t sign the bill because of existing protections and criminal penalties in state law.

The bill is co-authored and sponsored by Republican leaders in both the Senate and Assembly. Evers says introducing the bill was designed “to create division.”

Bill co-author Republican Senate President Roger Roth says Evers decision not to sign the measure before a public hearing shows “he has gone farther to the extreme than I imagined.”

Some abortion-rights advocates and doctors say the proposal leaves a false impression that the extremely rare scenario is common. Anti-abortion advocates say one time is too many.