Legislative Committee Votes to Deny Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care to Low Income Women in Wisconsin
NARAL Wisconsin condemns the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules vote today to reject a multi-million dollar federal aid package to expand access to reproductive health care to almost 50,000 low income women in our state. These low income women, ineligible for Medicaid and BadgerCare, are at very high risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections because they are uninsured. Additionally, uninsured people die from cancer at higher rates because that cancer is typically unchecked in the earliest stages when it is easiest to treat.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the majority of Committee members have demonstrated such disregard for the health and well-being of low income women. The reproductive health care that would be provided for in this package would save countless lives and prevent countless unintended pregnancies. This Committee cannot justify rejecting federal dollars for pregnancy prevention – pregnancy prevention programs are the only proven means to reduce the need for abortion. In fact, the Alan Guttmacher Institute estimates that publicly funded family planning programs prevent more than 24,000 unintended pregnancies each year in Wisconsin,” notes Deborah Lukovich, NARAL Wisconsin’s Executive Director.
“Anti-choice groups take exception to the provision of reproductive health care services to low income teenagers, but the teenage pregnancy rate has fallen in recent years because contraception is more widely available, not in spite of that availability. Those who genuinely seek to make abortion less necessary must support policies and programs that give women the tools to prevent pregnancy,” adds Deborah Lukovich.
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