Joel Kitchens

Joel C. Kitchens (born September 20, 1957) is an American veterinary doctor and Republican politician from Door County, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 1st Assembly district since 2015.

Background
Born in Washington, D.C., to Thomas W. Kitchens Jr. and Fleurette Kitchens, Kitchens moved around frequently as his father served in various positions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kitchens received his bachelor's degree and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees from Ohio State University. He moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and began a veterinarian practice there in 1984.

Public office
He was elected to the Sturgeon Bay School District Board of Education in 1999, eventually becoming its President. On November 4, 2014, Kitchens was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican.

Remarks on abortion
In January 2024, Kitchens received worldwide attention after stating, during an Assembly debate on abortion, that as a veterinarian he was probably the most expert person in the room on female pregnancies. "The question is whether abortion is health care and if you believe that a fetus is a human life, then abortion is not health care," he said. "In my veterinary career, I did thousands of ultrasounds on animals... I think I know mammalian fetal development better than anyone here. And in my mind, there’s absolutely no question that’s a life."