March 24, 2025

Spring Election on Tuesday April 1

State Supreme Court: Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel is running against Dane County Judge Susan Crawford (watch their March 12 debate).

State Superintendent of Public Instruction: State superintendent Jill Underly is running for reelection against education consultant Brittany Kinser (watch their March 19 debate).

Constitutional Amendment on Voter Identification: Wisconsin law currently requires photo identification to vote. This amendment would add that requirement to the Wisconsin Constitution.

• A “yes” vote supports amending the state constitution to require valid photo identification to vote and authorizing the state legislature to pass laws to determine what qualifies as valid photo identification and exceptions to the requirement.
• A “no” vote opposes amending the state constitution to require valid photo identification to vote and authorizing the state legislature to pass laws to determine what qualifies as valid photo identification and exceptions to the requirement.

WCC Action at the Courts

The WCC defends core moral principles and fundamental rights at the Wisconsin State Legislature, and when necessary through the judicial system and the courts. At the courts, as in the Legislature, the WCC seeks to be a voice of reason in upholding the dignity of every human person, protecting the unborn, safeguarding religious liberty, strengthening marriage and family, and protecting the poor and vulnerable.

The WCC has filed briefs or issued various public statements in three cases of importance to the Catholic Church in Wisconsin, including:

United States Supreme Court

Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission
Did Wisconsin violate the First Amendment by finding that Catholic Charities work was not operated “primarily for a religious purpose”?

This coming Monday, March 31, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, a case that involves whether care for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled is part of the Diocese of Superior Catholic Charities Bureau’s (CCB) religious mission. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Wisconsin Supreme Court determined that the CCB was not eligible for an exemption because Catholic Charities and its subentities were “not operated primarily for religious purposes.” The WCC filed an amicus brief in support of the CCB at the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the “Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision interferes with the Church’s internal affairs, impedes its sincere religious mission to serve all people in a nonjudgmental, nonproselytizing fashion, and requires courts to become arbiters of religiosity in violation of the First Amendment.” In other words, the WCC argues that true Catholic charity “can’t be reduced to just another secular social service.” You can listen to the oral arguments on Monday, March 31 at 10am (CST) on the Supreme Court’s website. A decision is expected by July.

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Kaul v. Urmanski
Is Wisconsin’s abortion ban statute enforceable?

Last November, the Court heard oral arguments in the statutory case, Kaul v. Urmanski, challenging whether Wis. Stat. 940.04, the state’s 1849 abortion ban, applies to abortion and is enforceable. The law, which was not enforceable under Roe v. Wade, bans all abortions, except to save the life of the mother. Urmanski argues that 940.04 applies to abortion and has never been overruled or repealed and must stand as state law. Kaul argues 940.04 is not enforceable because prior judicial opinions found it is a feticide statute rather than an abortion statute. The WCC released a statement arguing that 940.04 is an abortion statute and a recognition of human rights: “In 1849, Wisconsin banned abortion. In 1853, it abolished the death penalty. Our state was truly ahead of its time in recognizing the value of every human life.” The Court is expected to rule on this case before the new justice is seated on August 1.

Planned Parenthood v. Urmanski
Does the Wisconsin Constitution provide a right to an abortion?

In February 2024, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin filed a separate constitutional case, Planned Parenthood v. Urmanski, seeking to find a right to abortion in the Wisconsin Constitution. This past January, Archbishop Grob filed a motion and an affidavit for substitution or intervention, continuing Archbishop Emeritus Jerome Listecki’s petition to intervene in the case in order to defend the unborn. The WCC issued a statement in support of Archbishop Emeritus Listecki’s petition. And in his affidavit, Archbishop Grob wrote, “‘[t]he moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings’—like the unborn—‘of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law.’ Catechism [of the Catholic Church] 2273. ‘When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined.’ Catechism 2273.” This case has not yet been scheduled for oral arguments, so the new justice may be on the bench when the case is heard.

WCC Priorities at JFC Budget Listening Sessions

The JFC has created an online portal for constituents to provide input, as well as a dedicated email for input only (budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov). All comments and emails will be circulated to the full committee.

WCC Action at the Capitol

Gender Transition for Minors ▲ Testified in support
AB 104 (Scott Allen, R-Waukesha) Prohibiting gender transition medical intervention for individuals under 18 years of age.
Analysis: As Catholics, we believe that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and is deserving of dignity, respect, and compassion. We recognize the anguish of children as they wrestle with severe gender dysphoria, as well as their parents. They are members of our families and communities and often suffer in silence. We must treat all people with love and respect and accompany them with compassion and truth. The WCC supports this bill because gender transitioning of children upends the natural development of the human person and sends the message that some bodies are mistakes that can be manipulated at will.
Status: Passed the Assembly and awaits action in the Senate.

Designating College Sports by Sex ▲ Testified in support
AB 102 (Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc) Designating UW college sports and athletic teams based on the sex of the participants.
Analysis: Consistent with the Catholic Church’s clear teaching on the equality of men and women, the WCC affirms that education and sports policies must uphold human dignity. This includes equal treatment between women and men and affirmation of the goodness of a person’s body, which is genetically and biologically female or male. Male competition in activities designated for women and girls can be both unfair and unsafe. When male participation takes an athletic opportunity away from a female, it is a loss for basic fairness and the spirit of Title IX. Students who experience gender dysphoria bear the full measure of human dignity, and they therefore must be treated with kindness and respect.
Status: Passed the Assembly and awaits action in the Senate.

Palliative Care Council ▼ Testified in opposition
SB 39 (Jesse James, R-Thorp) Establishment of a Palliative Care Council.
Analysis: While the Church supports the use of quality palliative care for those who are gravely ill and at the end of life, the WCC insists that the definition of palliative care in statute should state that palliative care excludes intentionally hastening, assisting in, or causing someone’s death.
Status: Passed out of committee and awaits further action.

Pharmacists Prescribing Contraceptives ▼ Testified in opposition
SB 42 (Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton) Permitting pharmacists to prescribe certain contraceptives, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty.
Analysis: Under the bill there are no requirements that a pharmacist test for pregnancy, order diagnostic exams that would provide a comprehensive assessment of a woman’s current health status or even have access to a woman’s complete medical history and records—all of which normally inform the medical decision-making process. Contraceptives have been associated with serious health risks, including depression, venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke, heart attack, breast and cervical cancer, and more. In short, the bill could compromise patient safety.
Status: Passed out of committee and awaits further action.

Legislative Action on WCC Bills of Interest

Below is a update on the status of bills that the WCC has previously taken action on. To see the WCC’s analysis of these bills, read our prior Capitol Updates.

Pelvic Exams ▲ Registered in support
SB 14 (André Jacque, R-De Pere) Written informed consent prior to pelvic exams on unconscious patients.
Status: Passed the Senate and awaits action in the Assembly.

Designating K-12 School Sports by Sex ▲ Testified in support
AB 100 (Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc) Designating athletic sports and teams operated or sponsored by public schools or private schools participating in a parental choice program based on the sex of the participants.
Status: Passed the Assembly and awaits action in the Senate.

WCC Public Policy Positions: Provide Living Wages

As we did last session, here we continue to elaborate on each of the WCC’s 2025 Public Policy Positions. You can learn more about Catholic Social Teaching on the USCCB website.

Provide Living Wages. Living wages are essential to human flourishing. All employed persons supporting themselves and their families must be able to afford the basic essentials of food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Wisconsin must index its minimum wage and state Earned Income Tax Credit to reflect changes in the cost of living.

The Church teaches that “the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the human person in his or her integrity: ‘Man is the source, the focus and the aim of all economic and social life’.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth [Caritas in Veritate], no. 25, quoting Second Vatican Council, The Church in the Modern World [Gaudium et Spes], no. 63).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states that a “just wage is the legitimate fruit of work” (2434). To determine fair pay, “both the needs and the contributions of each person must be taken into account.” The Catechism continues by insisting that wages “for work should guarantee man the opportunity to provide a dignified livelihood for himself and his family on the material, social, cultural and spiritual level.” Yet, mere “agreement between the parties is not sufficient to justify morally the amount” of wages to be paid.

Furthermore, work itself is a good. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states, “Work is essential insofar as it represents the condition that makes it possible to establish a family” (249). In paragraph 250, the Compendium continues:

In order to protect this relationship between family and work, an element that must be appreciated and safeguarded is that of a family wage, a wage sufficient to maintain a family and allow it to live decently. Such a wage must also allow for savings that will permit the acquisition of property as a guarantee of freedom. … There can be several different ways to make a family wage a concrete reality. … for example, family subsidies and other contributions for dependent family members, and also remuneration for the domestic work done in the home by one of the parents.

To that end, employers have a responsibility to provide wages and promote other policies that uphold the dignity of the person, rather than solely maximizing profits. The Catechism notes that to “refuse or withhold [a just wage] can be a grave injustice” (2434).

Wages that allow for individuals and families to provide for their basic needs uphold the dignity of every human person. The economy must serve people, not the other way around.

Updates from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

• Pro-life movement needs new approach driven by all the faithful, dicastery says
• Pope Francis returns to Vatican after long hospitalization
• USCCB Statement on the Executive Order Pertaining to the U.S. Department of Education
• Speakers: Church has role in fight against AI-generated exploitation
  
  
• “Walking with Moms” Puts the Gospel of Life into Action, says Bishop Thomas

Federal Action Alerts. To take action on the current federal action alerts from the USCCB, click here.

Legislative Resources

Find your legislators, committee assignments, session schedule, and more: