For Immediate Release: July 9, 2007


Media Contact: Andrea Gage
414-213-3717 (cell)

 

Assembly Budget Proposal Threatens Public Health

Disastrous plan attacks birth control access, prevention/treatment for cancer and STIs

 

Madison, WI - Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) condemns the state Assembly leadership for proposing to eliminate prevention-based, cost-effective health care programs essential to the health and well-being of Wisconsin women, men and families in its budget proposal released today. Astoundingly, the Assembly has proposed to slash the following critical health care services:

 

  • The Family Planning Demonstration Project
  • Medicaid coverage to impoverished childless adults
  • Funding for cervical cancer screening and treatment examinations
  • Funding for an infant mortality project in Racine County
  • Funding to family planning health care providers who provide non-directive, all options pregnancy counseling as required by federal and state law

 

Assembly leadership also proposed to reduce critical funding for:

 

  • Breast cancer and cervical cancer screening services under the Wisconsin Well Woman Program
  • The state's HIV/AIDS program

 

Health care services that over 100,000 women and men rely on would be lost and as many as 53 family planning clinics would be at risk of losing critical funds used to care for tens of thousands of individuals across the state. The loss of health care programs and providers who offer provide contraceptive services and supplies, breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment, pregnancy counseling and prenatal care, and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) would also hit taxpayers. The Family Planning Demonstration Project alone has been estimated to save Wisconsin taxpayers millions of dollars each year. In addition to losing the cost savings, Wisconsin will also lose the ability to attract millions of dollars in additional federal funds.

 

In their sweeping proposal to eliminate commonsense health care services, the Assembly Republicans have proposed wasting additional taxpayer money by forcing the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) to commit state resources to pursue the ineffective federal abstinence-only-until-marriage education program. Abstinence-only education prohibits the inclusion of comprehensive, medically-accurate information about the prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, needlessly putting our youth at risk.

 

"The people of Wisconsin should be outraged that Assembly leaders oppose our families having access to the information and preventive health care services they so desperately need. The public needs and deserves equitable access to affordable health care. We call on our elected officials to instead work toward enhancing access to affordable health care and to oppose these inhumane and dangerous cuts to our already strained health care system," said PPWI President and CEO Jim Stewart.

 

PPAWI encourages concerned citizens to call their state Representative and tell them to vote 'No' on this budget on the Assembly floor tomorrow.

                                                                            

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI). The mission of PPWI is to empower all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health through direct services, education, and advocacy.  www.ppawi.org