Planned Parenthood and UW Abortion Practices Curbed by Joint Finance Committee
Wisconsin Right to Life worked closely with Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine), Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), Rep. Dan LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), Rep. Andre Jacque (R-Green Bay) and other key legislators on two important measures adopted by the state’s Joint Finance Committee which do the following:
Cut off tax dollars to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
By a 12-4 vote, the Joint Finance Committee approved a motion to direct family planning dollars under the Title V program to public health Departments. The counties “may not provide either state or federal Title V funds to providers that provide abortion services of abortion referrals, or any providers that have affiliates that provide abortion services or abortion referrals.”
Voting for the measure were Republican Senators Alberta Darling, Luther Olsen, Randy Hopper, Joe Leibham, Glenn Grothman, and Sheila Harsdorf and Republican Representatives Robin Vos, Dan Meyer, John Nygren, Pat Strachota, Joel Kleefisch, and Dan LeMahieu. Voting against were Democratic Senators Bob Jauch and Lena Taylor and Democratic Representatives Tamara Grigsby and Jennifer Schilling.
Prohibit UW Hospitals and Clinics from using public funds for abortion. Under this prohibition UW can no longer pay medical students to learn to perform abortions, and it eliminates any further consideration of the ill-fated late-term abortion plan attempted by UW in the past few years.
Also by a 12-4 vote, the Joint Finance Committee approved a motion to make the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority subject to “provisions of current law that prohibit the use of public funds to pay a physician or surgeon or a hospital, clinic or mother medical facility for the performance of an abortion except in certain cases specified in current law.”
Voting for the measure were Republican Senators Alberta Darling, Luther Olsen, Randy Hopper, Joe Leibham, Glenn Grothman, and Sheila Harsdorf and Republican Representatives Robin Vos, Dan Meyer, John Nygren, Pat Strachota, Joel Kleefisch, and Dan LeMahieu. Voting against were Democratic Senators Bob Jauch and Lena Taylor and Democratic Representatives Tamara Grigsby and Jennifer Schilling.
These two important motions are not yet law. They are part of the massive biennial state budget which must be approved by both houses of the legislature and signed into law by Governor Walker.
Wisconsin Right to Life praises those legislators who worked on the development of these motions and voted for them. To help Wisconsin Right to Life ensure that these measures become law, please join our online E-Voice network here.
Barbara Lyons