For Immediate Release: June 1, 2007

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

Flood Gates Open for Future Abortion Bans
AG decision gives green light to extreme politicians to pass new abortion bans that endanger women's health and lives

Madison, WI- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin's (PPAWI) assessment that Wisconsin's abortion ban, Wis. Stat. § 940.16, is unconstitutional was supported in an informal opinion issued by Attorney General JB Van Hollen yesterday. Wisconsin’s abortion procedures ban was enacted in 1998. It would have outlawed the most common and safe abortion procedures used as early as the 12th week of pregnancy and thrown physicians in prison for life for performing these procedures, even when a woman’s health was jeopardized by continuing her pregnancy.

PPAWI anticipates that the Attorney General's opinion will open the flood gates in our state Legislature to further abortion bans and restrictions that threaten women's health and lives. In what appears to be a coordinated effort, a new bill restricting access to abortion immediately began circulating following the release of the Attorney General's opinion. Simultaneously, anti-birth control leadership in the Assembly sent the bipartisan Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill (SB 129 and AB 377) to the judiciary committee, chaired by vocal anti-birth control State Representative Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin). Gundrum had privately requested the bill from Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-La Crosse) for the purpose of killing the bill and denying rape victims access to emergency contraception after brutal assaults.

A federal abortion procedures ban will go into effect in Wisconsin and throughout the nation in a few weeks, banning rare abortion procedures that are often used when a wanted pregnancy goes tragically wrong. There is no exception in this ban when a woman's health is in danger. Assembly leadership may now try to pass a state ban that is similar to the federal ban for purely political motives, since the federal ban will be the law of the land in Wisconsin and nationwide.

"The Republican leadership is not shy regarding their desire to ban all abortions, even when a woman has been raped or is the victim of incest. As disturbing is their open hostility to birth control, even for rape victims who have endured perhaps the most traumatic experience of their lives. They clearly do not care about women, their experiences, or their health," said PPAWI Public Policy Director Chris Taylor.

A recent May poll indicates that instead of focusing on banning abortion and restricting access to birth control, the public wants legislative leaders to work towards ensuring affordable access to health care. More than 90 percent of 600 likely voters polled indicated that it was important to enhance access to services like cervical cancer prevention, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment and access to birth control. 83 percent of people polled indicated that the government should work to protect a patient’s right to receive all necessary health care that is in the patient’s best interest.

In the past, the Republican leadership has worked to ban prescription birth control on UW campuses and to allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control.

"The Republican leadership in the Assembly should focus on ensuring access to health care for Wisconsinites, not telling doctors what medical procedures they can use to help save women’s lives and protect their health, which are decisions that should be made by women and their doctors. Instead, what we see from State Representative Huebsch and the Assembly leadership are continued efforts to thwart a woman’s access to birth control, including for rape victims after being attacked," stated Taylor. "If the Assembly leadership really wants to effectively reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy and abortion, they should be pursuing policies that enhance women’s access to birth control."

###

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