Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release January 19, 2006

Media Contact: Andrea Gage

414-213-3717

ANTI-BIRTH CONTROL SENATOR GROTHMAN ATTACKS FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS

Vocal opponent of birth control again attacking Wisconsin’s most successful family planning program

Madison, WI- Access to birth control in Wisconsin is yet again under attack by extremist anti-birth control crusader Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend). Yesterday, Senator Grothman announced his plans to introduce a bill in the state Legislature that would gut the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver program. State officials have called the program one of the most cost-effective options for reducing skyrocketing Medicaid costs because the program saves $13.2 million in state funds and attracts an additional $8.2 million in federal monies each year.

In 2005, over 224,000 Wisconsin women were in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. The Family Planning Waiver has served over 64,000 of those women. The program offers family planning services to low-income women ages 15 to 44, including cervical cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and contraceptive counseling. Under both federal and state law, no public monies may be used for abortion services.

In 1997, after a bipartisan vote and with the support of then-Governor Tommy Thompson, the state applied for and was granted this federal Medicaid Waiver. Under the program, the federal government matches each dollar the state spends on family planning services with nine dollars in federal funds. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), the program will attract over $16.4 million in federal funds over the two years left in the program. DHFS also issued a report last spring which demonstrated the Family Planning Waiver was indeed meeting the goals of reducing the costs associated with unintended pregnancies. It found a cost-savings of over $3.3 million in the one four-month period examined.

“This program not only provides needed prevention based health services, such as cancer screenings and STI testing and treatment, but it also reduces unintended pregnancies, including teen pregnancies, and saves the state approximately $13.2 million each year in costs which is the main objective of this program,” stated PPWI Public Policy Analyst Nicole Safar. “Currently, 85% of teen births are paid for by Wisconsin taxpayers. The City of Milwaukee has estimated that each teen birth costs our state $80,000, including birth and delivery and social services costs.”

Senator Grothman, on the other hand, made clear yesterday that he is pursuing an anti-birth control agenda with no legitimate evidence. He blatantly lied about the effectiveness of family planning, claiming that access to birth control actually increases unintended pregnancies. In reality, it is estimated by the highly respected health policy think tank the Guttmacher Institute, that publicly supported family planning clinics avert 35,200 pregnancies and 17,600 abortions in Wisconsin each year. Countless reputable studies have attributed the national reduction in teen pregnancy over the last 15 years to better access to and knowledge about birth control options.

“Senator Grothman claims that the state should be in the business of legislating chastity. At Planned Parenthood, we believe that the state should be in the business of providing health care to those in need. Without the Family Planning Waiver, over 64,000 women will go without cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment and access to effective birth control,” said Safar.

# # #

Planned Parenthood Advocates (PPAWI) is the political 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