Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel believes ‘life begins at conception’

Last Tuesday, conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel continued his anti-abortion streak, telling a conservative women’s group that he believes “life begins at conception” and that the GOP has to “change hearts and minds.” Schimel’s words came at a meeting of the Republican Women of Southeast Wisconsin on Jan. 22, according to audio provided to Heartland Signal on the condition of anonymity. He also said Republicans need to “shut this issue down” while lamenting that two-thirds of Wisconsinites oppose criminalizing abortion at any point. He said that he would uphold the law even though he vehemently disagrees with it. “Personally, I believe that life begins at conception,” Schimel said. “But part of being a judge is to have humility and respect that you don’t get to make the law. And we’re going to change a lot of hearts and minds yet because right now, still two-thirds of Americans and two-thirds of Wisconsinites want some kind of abortion legal. I have to accept that as a judge. We have to shut this issue down.”

HOT MIC: During a local event last week, conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel told Republicans that he believes life begins at conception and lamented that 65% of Wisconsinites oppose any abortion bans:

“We have to shut this issue down.” pic.twitter.com/m8B6vV1vGN — Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) January 29, 2025

Last year, Schimel argued that his state’s abortion ban, which was written in 1849, was “valid and there’s nothing in that law to make it invalid.” The law went automatically went into effect after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The law made performing abortions a criminal act unless two doctors could determine that the pregnant woman’s life was in danger. The ban resulted in a 16-month pause on all abortion care in Wisconsin for fear of prosecution. After Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit challenging the bans validity, Dane County Judge Diane Schlipper ruled that the law does not apply to abortion procedures in Wisconsin. The case has been taken up by the state Supreme Court, but it’s unclear when a ruling will be handed down. Before Schimel was appointed to serve as a judge in the Waukesha County Circuit Court, he served as Wisconsin’s Attorney General under Gov. Scott Walker (R) for four years until he lost to Kaul in 2018. In 2016, Schimel cost Wisconsin taxpayers $1.6 million in attorney fees for abortion providers after a GOP effort to restrict abortion was ruled unconstitutional. In 2018, Schimel also indicated support for federal abortion restrictions during Trump’s first term.

Today President Trump took a bold stand to protect unborn children older than 20 weeks from abortion procedures and got the federal government out of the way of states who choose to stand for life. This is a much needed step in the right direction from our president. pic.twitter.com/bqBHwdDO3H

— Brad D. Schimel (@BradSchimel) January 19, 2018

Schimel will face liberal opponent Susan Crawford in the April 1 election, which will determine if liberal will retain their 4-3 majority on the court.