Senate Republicans v. Health Care
SENATE REPUBLICANS ASSAULT HEALTH CARE, ENDANGER WISCONSIN PATIENTS
State Senate votes to limit patients’ rights to informed consent and health care information
Madison, WI – GOP leaders in the State Senate, aided by a handful of Democrats, dealt a significant blow to patient health and rights yesterday. Despite overwhelming public and medical community opposition, senators voted to roll back decades of progress in access to medical treatment and information.
“Today is a sad day for Wisconsin patients – our leaders, those charged with protecting our health, have let us down,” said Kelda Helen Roys, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin. “Republicans seem determined to dismantle our health care system, by allowing providers to withhold treatment and information based on personal beliefs, requiring them to give coercive propaganda to patients, and failing to give comprehensive, truthful information to young people about making responsible, healthy choices.”
The bills diminish patients’ ability to direct their own health care and make personal, private decisions:
• AB 207, Patient Abandonment Bill (passed 21-12)
o Allows health care providers to withhold information and treatment from patients (on birth control, infertility treatment, stem cell research and therapy, end-of-life care, and abortion) based solely on the provider’s personal beliefs, even if doing so could harm the patient
o Takes away important legal rights of patients who are victims of malpractice and violates longstanding medical ethics principles
o Bill supporters rejected amendments to ensure doctors refer patients to another provider and to prevent pharmacists from withholding birth control from women
o No health care organization in the state supports this bill; over two dozen health and social service organizations oppose it
• SB 286, Irresponsible Sex Education Bill (passed 24-9)
o Ignores and exacerbates the public health crisis of teen pregnancy and STI infection by pushing abstinence rather than comprehensive, medically accurate sex education
o Republican senators voted against amendments to ensure that students would be told about reducing the risks of unintended pregnancy and disease through contraceptive usage as well as abstinence; they also rejected an amendment to notify parents if a school district will teach only abstinence, despite the fact that over 80% of Wisconsin voters want their children to receive comprehensive sex education
• SB 138, Misinformed Consent, “Junk Science” (passed 21-12)
o Amends Wisconsin’s current biased counseling and mandatory delay law to include additional misinformation; would force doctors to give women seeking abortion coercive propaganda about fetal development and perception that is not supported by the medical community
o Wisconsin Medical Society opposes this bill, which inappropriately intrudes upon the doctor-patient relationship and prevents appropriate, patient-centered informed consent
o Proponents admit that their true intent is to coerce women to carry their pregnancies to term
“With health care premiums higher than ever, and more patients without access to basic preventative care, Republican legislators have demonstrated a callous disregard for the health and rights of Wisconsinites,” said Roys. “Fortunately, Governor Doyle understands that we need to improve access to health care, and we deserve truthful information from our doctors and teachers. We are grateful that he uses his veto pen to stand up and defend patients statewide.”
For more information about these bills and other legislation, go to www.prochoicewisconsin.org and click on “Political Updates.”
# # #
|
