The Senate’s vote confirmed Gov. Jim Doyle’s recommendation for current members Roger Axtell, Mike Weiden and Sheldon Wasserman, a former state representative, to serve again on the board. They voted 17-15 for Axtell and Weiden, with one Democrat voting with the Republicans, and voted 21-11 for Wasserman.
Axtell and Weiden voted in February for a plan to allow second-term abortions to be performed at the Madison Surgery Center, an affiliate of UW Hospital. The board passed the plan 11-3.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said because they approved the second-trimester abortion plan, Axtell and Weiden “have no regard for human life” and are not qualified to sit on the board.
“You have to take the fact that they’re willing to make certain members of the human family dispensable in a most egregious manner,” she said. “I think it’s important that if you are a health-care provider you take into consideration the needs and the lives of all your patients, not just some of them.”
According to Carrie Lynch, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Schofield, senate Democrats approved the reappointment because the men are qualified and the job has nothing to do with abortion.
“[Senate Democrats] approved all of them because their views on any particular single issue wasn’t a qualification for the job. We voted on all of them based on their qualifications for the job, and all of them were qualified,” she said.
Lisa Subeck, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said Axtell and Weiden’s votes for the abortion center were a “responsible choice.” She said second-trimester abortions are often needed for women who learn of health risks late in their pregnancies or have difficulty traveling to abortion clinics during early stages of pregnancy.
“They ensured that all women would continue to have access to a full range of reproductive health services, and for that they should be applauded, not punished,” Subeck said.
