For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2008
Media Contact: Andrea Gage
414-213-3717
(cell)
Misplaced Priorities on
Full Display during Assembly Hearing Today
Committee
Wastes Precious Time Considering Bill that’s Already a Misguided Federal
Law
Madison, WI- With just a short time remaining
for this legislative session, the Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee spent
many of the precious hours it has left to consider the Abortion Ban, Assembly
710, introduced recently by anti-health legislators and pushed by Wisconsin
Right to Life. Not only does the bill duplicate existing federal law,
it’s a dangerous all-out assault on women’s health and safety in Wisconsin that comes on the heels of the
Assembly’s most recent attempt to block rape victims’ access to
birth control to prevent pregnancy and the incidence of abortion.
In 2003,
the United States Congress passed and President Bush signed the Federal
Abortion Ban, a law banning certain second trimester abortion procedures even
if a woman’s health is at risk.
Last spring, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the law was
constitutional—overturning 30 plus years of precedent requiring abortion
restrictions to include an exception protecting women’s health.
Today’s bill would be an exact copy of the federal law that is in place
and governing Wisconsin medical care.
“The
federal ban is already law in Wisconsin, so today’s bill will not
accomplish anything other than underscoring for voters the Assembly
leadership’s blatant disregard for women’s health,” said
Chris Taylor, public policy director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of
Wisconsin.
The bill
also violates the Wisconsin Medical Code of Ethics, which directs physicians to
consider a patient’s life and health of paramount importance. Any action
that places a patient’s health in danger would violate the professional
code. Wis. Admin. Code MED 10.02(h).
“This
bill only serves to reiterate that Wisconsin politicians do not believe
doctors should be using their medical judgment to decide what medical procedure
is safest for each individual patient’s health. It also contradicts the
accepted ethical principles that form the very foundation of the medical
profession in our state,” said Taylor.
“Let’s
stop wasting precious time debating a policy is already federal law and refocus
the debate on decreasing unintended pregnancies,” said Taylor. “Instead of passing this
bill, which does nothing to reduce the incidence of abortion, legislators
should work with Planned Parenthood and the public health community to increase
access to birth control and sex education—the only proven way to reduce
unintended pregnancies and the abortions that result.”
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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