MILWAUKEE, WI (SPECTRUM NEWS) – Governor Tony Evers is calling it “horrific” for President Donald Trump to say doctors want to execute babies in Wisconsin.

President Trump called it “shocking” that Governor Evers planned to veto a so-called “born alive” abortion bill that requires doctors to keep babies alive following a failed abortion.

Governor Evers rejects Trump's claim that doctors are killing babies after a failed abortion, stating there is no evidence of this happening in the state.

Boos erupted from the crowd when President Trump brought up the topic Saturday night during a campaign rally held at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon near Green Bay. 

“Your Democrat governor here in Wisconsin shockingly stated that he will veto legislation that protects Wisconsin babies born alive,” Trump told the crowd.

The president went on to lay out a graphic scenario to energize his base.

“The baby is born,” Trump explained. “The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully and then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby. I don't think so.”

Governor Evers spoke at a Milwaukee Press Club event Tuesday afternoon held at Turner Hall in Milwaukee.

“The president is the president,” Evers told reporters. “He's going to do this kind of crap as long as he's president.”

Evers told the audience doctors aren't killing babies and even if they did there are already laws on the book, like intentional homicide, that would make it a crime.

“It doesn't happen,” Evers said. “We already have things on the book. This is nothing more than a distraction from the work that we need to do.” 

Aside from state statutes, there is also a federal law called the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002.

“I think of my own situation,” Evers said. “My daughter is an OB-GYN. If somebody said that she had the opportunity to execute a child, that is just a horrific thing to say.”

Evers called Trump's remarks “irresponsible” while also calling out state lawmakers like the bill's author Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna).

“For one of the Republican leaders in our state legislature to say 'yeah he's [Trump] right, this is extreme on Evers' part' that is blasphemy,” Evers said.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services doesn't track cases of abortions that failed and the baby survived.

The reason the state doesn't have those numbers is that Wisconsin bans non-emergency abortions after 20 weeks. About 1 percent of abortions in Wisconsin occur after that 20th week, but only in cases where the life of the mother is at risk.

That's well before the 24 to 28-week range laid out in the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling from 1973.

“If the Republicans are so damn interested in making sure that moms and babies are well, they should really get behind my Medicaid expansion bill,” Evers stated to some applause.  

Evers says Wisconsin faces serious maternal and infant health issues where lawmakers should be focusing their efforts, not on bills that are distracting. 

There is a public hearing scheduled for the “born alive” bill on May 7th in the State Assembly Committee on Health.

If the legislation passes the Republican-controlled legislature, Evers has said he will veto it.