Degrading the Unborn Child in the Wisconsin Statutes

It has Planned Parenthood written all over it. Included in Governor Doyle’s budget is a revision of BadgerCare Plus. The good news is the revision makes more pregnant women eligible for benefits. The bad news is the revision calls for deletion of benefits eligibility for the “unborn child.”

Fascinating. As you read current law on BadgerCare Plus, there are numerous references to the unborn child and the unborn child’s mother. Apparently, the mere words “unborn child” are so distasteful to PP, the Governor and their allies, that they must be stricken from the statutes. Wouldn’t want a “progressive” state like Wisconsin to be considered backwards because it legally recognizes that “blob” in the womb.

But, even more disturbing are the practical results. With today’s technology, the unborn child is clearly a patient separate from the mother. When a premature birth is expected, it is established medical practice for the baby to have surfactant replacement therapy to develop the lungs and give the baby a better chance to survive. This therapy is not done for the mother, it is done for the child. So, is the mother going to have to pay for this life-enhancing treatment because her unborn child is not covered?

What about in utero blood tranfusions, heart surgery or spina bifida corrective surgery? It makes the concept of increasing care to the woman, but denying benefits to the child, pretty ridiculous. All because some noses are out of joint to have “unborn child” as words in our statutes.

Barbara Lyons