For Immediate Release:
August 17, 2007
Media Contact: Andrea Gage
414-213-3717
(cell)
State Representative Vows
to Fight for Your Health Care
Fellow La Crosse Elected Officials Urged to
Join Effort to Save Family Planning System
La Crosse, WI- Planned Parenthood Advocates of
Wisconsin (PPAWI) applauds State Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) for
pledging to fight for women’s access to family planning health care,
which was gutted by the Assembly’s budget proposal passed last month.
Even though Assembly Speaker Mike Huesbch (R-West
Salem), Senator Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) and State
Rep. Lee Nerison (R-Westby) were also invited to
attend a community forum on the budget hosted by Planned Parenthood of
Wisconsin at Gunderson Lutheran last night, Shilling was the only La Crosse
area elected official who attended to discuss the impact of the dangerous cuts
to family planning funding.
“Rep. Shilling recognizes that in Wisconsin, we value access to quality and
affordable health care. She also understands that the Assembly budget is a
grand departure from true Wisconsin values,” said PPAWI Vice President of Public
Affairs Lisa Boyce. “This disastrous budget, which eliminates funding for
more than 30 family planning providers statewide, puts women, men and families
needlessly at risk by eliminating access to the health care they need to stay
healthy.”
Eliminating state funding for private family planning
providers will result in eliminating access to preventive health services
such as cervical and breast cancer screening, sexually
transmitted infection testing and treatment and access to birth control
for approximately 30,000
low-income Wisconsin patients, many of whom reside in
more rural parts of Wisconsin. The Assembly budget also prohibits
county health departments that do not have the resources to provide family
planning services from contracting with private entities, if that other entity
complies with its ethical obligation to provide all options pregnancy
counseling. All options pregnancy
counseling includes non-directive information about all pregnancy options,
including continuing a pregnancy, adoption and pregnancy termination.
The cuts don’t just jeopardize health care, they
cost taxpayers more money.
The cuts could compromise $13
million dollars the state receives from the MCH block grant program and could
result in the state spending an additional $8.3 GPR on Medicaid funded births
because women may not have access to family planning services.
“We call on all of La Crosse’s legislative leaders,
especially Assembly Majority Leader Mike Huebsch, who
is in a position to mend the Assembly’s broken budget, to restore the
family planning health care system in Wisconsin,” said Boyce. “Enough
is enough – Wisconsin women and their families need and deserve access to affordable health
care.”
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin* will host another
community briefing on the budget in Milwaukee on Thursday, August 23 from 5:45 p.m.
- 7:30 p.m.
The panel discussion will be held at the YWCA, located at 1915 N. MLK Drive, Milwaukee. A statewide webinar
will also be held on Wednesday, August
29 from 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Email andrea.gage@ppwi.org for login
information.
*Cosponsors:
Institute for Wisconsin's Future, Managed Health Services, 9to5 National
Association of Working Women - WI, Planned Parenthood Advocates, Plymouth
United Church of Christ, Urban Underground, Wisconsin Coalition Against
Domestic Violence, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, and YWCA.
###
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