Spring 2010 Pro-Choice Happenings
Dear pro-choice supporter, Last week, the Wisconsin State Legislature finished its 2009-2010 legislative session. I am pleased to report that we made many pro-choice gains this session.
Early in the session, the legislature passed the state budget including three important initiatives increasing access to birth control and family-planning services.
The Contraceptive Equity provision requires that all insurance plans covering prescription drugs must also cover contraception.
Through the Prescription Protection provision, no woman will be turned away at the pharmacy counter when filling a birth-control prescription, as pharmacies must now have someone available who is able and willing to fill these prescriptions without delay.
And the Legislature passed an expansion of the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver to provide family planning and reproductive health screenings to low-income women.
Just over a month ago, Governor Doyle signed the Healthy Youth Act into law. The Healthy Youth Act eliminates “abstinence-only” programs from Wisconsin’s public schools. Now, schools teaching sex education must utilize a comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically accurate curriculum that includes information about both abstinence and contraception.
As we celebrate these victories, we must remain vigilant in our response to attacks on choice.
Almost immediately after passage of contraceptive equity, some anti-choice employers began looking into self-insurance to avoid having to cover their female employees’ birth control.
And the most outrageous anti-choice attack on new legislation comes from Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth, who is threatening criminal prosecution of sex education teachers who comply with the Healthy Youth Act. That’s right – an anti-choice DA (who spoke at last week’s Wisconsin Right to Life convention) is threatening to prosecute teachers for following state law.
We are fighting back against these attacks, working to elect a pro-choice governor and pro-choice legislators, and looking forward to passing more pro-choice legislation, and we need your help. Learn more about how you can get involved in this edition of Pro-Choice Happenings.
Yours for choice,
Lisa Subeck
Executive Director
PS – With the November elections fast approaching, it is critical you renew your NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin membership now. State law limits what information we can share with non-members. Join or renew today!
In this issue:
Get Trained to Volunteer this Summer
Elections Matter
Supreme Court Vacancy
Support Choice When You Buy Groceries
Follow Us on Twitter and Facebook Can’t attend the training or want to volunteer sooner? If you can’t attend the training, fill out our online volunteer form. We will contact you when another training is scheduled or to help you sign up for a tabling shift. Use the form to sign up for other volunteer opportunities including helping out in our office, joining our letters to the editor team, and more. Note: Most events are in the Madison area with occasional tabling opportunities throughout the state. Elections Matter
The legislative session is over, and we are so proud of all our legislative gains. To build on these gains next year, we must elect pro-choice leadership in Wisconsin.
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin will endorse candidates for governor and other state offices in the upcoming weeks and months, and we will be calling upon you to help us implement our Protect and Elect program.
As election time approaches, we recognize the contributions of outgoing Governor Jim Doyle and Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton. Governor Doyle and LG Lawton have been steadfast supporters of reproductive rights and have stood by us in our fight to ensure every woman in Wisconsin has access to the full range of reproductive health-care options.
This November, we must elect a pro-choice governor and protect our pro-choice majority in the State Senate. To continue making progress legislatively, we must continue our trend of pro-choice gains in the State Assembly, as we are now closer than ever to achieving a pro-choice majority.
Watch for NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin’s endorsement announcements in the coming weeks and months. Call on President Obama to Nominate a Pro-Choice Justice
Justice John Paul Stevens’ retirement means that we will lose one of the strongest supporters of the right to choose from the Supreme Court. Our anti-choice opponents are already using this vacancy to rally their base. The insults and personal attacks are only going to get worse. Support Choice When You Buy Groceries
Do you shop at Pic ‘n Save? If so, you can help NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation every time you buy groceries. Just stop by the customer service desk and let them know that you would like to make us your “We Care” program designee. You will need to give them our “We Care” number: 53095. Then every time you shop, Pic ‘n Save will donate a portion of their profits to the NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
Did you know that NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin is on Facebook and Twitter? Follow us (or fan us or like us or whatever they are calling it now) for all of the latest news and information about choice.
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