MADISON, Wis., July 11, 2001 (LSN.ca) – On Tuesday the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that a man who owed $25,000 in child support could be ordered not to father anymore children as a condition of probation. AP reports that if David Oakley, who already has had nine children with four women, fails to abide by the condition, he faces 8 years in prison.
The decision by the justices was split along gender lines as all three female justices dissented from the ruling saying having children is a basic human right guaranteed by the Constitution. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley wrote that the decision could encourage abortion. “It places the woman in an untenable position: have an abortion or be responsible for Oakley going to prison for eight years,” Bradley wrote.
See the AP report at: https://library.northernlight.com/EE20010710050000033.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc