Wisconsin Assembly OK's Bill Cutting Planned Parenthood Money Print
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Written by GBP Staff   
Friday, 12 February 2016 10:45

violenceAssembly Republicans Pass Attack on Women’s Health Care Access, Put Domestic Violence Victims at Risk.


MADISON - Republicans moved within a step Thursday of cutting millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin, pushing a bill that would limit Medicaid reimbursements for certain family planning clinics through the state Assembly and on to Gov. Scott Walker.

The bill would require clinics that participate in a federal program that allows them to purchase prescription drugs at reduced cost to bill Medicaid only for the actual acquisition costs and dispensing fees for birth control drugs. The change would cost Planned Parenthood an estimated $4.5 million per year.

The Assembly approved the bill 61-35, with all the Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats against.

andre-jacque“Taxpayers should not be subsidizing abortion providers,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. André Jacque (R-De Pere). The so-called "pro-life" group in Madison, LifeNews.com, has continued the narrative to legislators that the bill "will help further de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business in the Badger State after it was caught across the country selling the body parts of aborted babies for profit."

Democratic members of the Assembly instead viewed the bill as a Republican attack on women’s Health Care access and one that put domestic violence victims at risk. Wisconsin has been a petri dish for Republicans’ right-wing extremism in recent years, with a continuous string of actions that Democrats say harm women and children.

peter_barca“Republicans have shown once again they cannot be trusted to do what’s right for women and children in Wisconsin," said Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) in a statement. "Today Republican legislators attacked women’s access to health care and rammed through a special-interest giveaway that destroys the tenant rights for some of our most vulnerable."

The second reference by Barca refers to a separate proposal passing the Assembly Thursday giving landlords more power to evict tenants. The Republican bill would allow landlords to evict tenants and dispose of or sell their property if anyone on the property is involved in a criminal activity.

Democrats complained the bill would lead to tenants getting evicted out of no fault of their own. For example, they said, a grandmother could be evicted from her apartment if her teenage granddaughter and her boyfriend visit and the boyfriend attacks the girl.

Assembly Democrats put forward several other alternative proposals including:

  • An amendment to make meaningful investments in broadband infrastructure (AB 647)
  • Amendments addressing the major issues in the landlord/tenant bill to preserve safety standards and protect victims of domestic violence and their children from losing their homes (AB 568)
  • A substitute amendment that would allow women to receive a 12-month supply of birth control prescription, which would dramatically lower abortions and unplanned pregnancy (SB 238/AB 311)

These amendments were voted down on party lines.

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Legislative writer Laura Smith contributed to this story.

Last Updated on Friday, 12 February 2016 12:48