Senate Republicans Continue Attacks on Women's Health; Abortion Coverage Ban Passed in So-Called Special Session on Jobs
For immediate release October 20, 2011 Senate Republicans Continue Attacks on Women's Health Abortion Coverage Ban Passed in So-Called Special Session on Jobs
Madison, WI – Today, the Wisconsin State Senate passed a bill to prohibit coverage for abortion services in any plan offered on Wisconsin's health insurance exchange set up under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (SB 92). SB 92 would make it nearly impossible for Wisconsin women to obtain insurance coverage for abortion services, even if they are purchasing their insurance plan entirely with their own money. 87% of insurance plans currently offered in the private marketplace provide coverage for abortion services.
Proponents of SB 92 claim the bill is necessary to prevent taxpayer funding for abortion. This claim is blatantly false, as federal and state laws already mandate that no public funds be spent for abortion except in rare instances such as when a woman's life is in danger or in cases of rape and incest. The Affordable Care Act itself includes additional measures to ensure private funds for abortion coverage are maintained in a funding stream entirely separate from any public dollars.
“SB 92 is an overreaching bill that goes much further than any law currently on the books by blocking women from purchasing abortion coverage even when paying entirely out of their own pockets,” said Lisa Subeck, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin. “This discriminatory legislation would prevent women from choosing the insurance coverage that most effectively meets their health care needs.”
SB 92 singles out one service for exclusion, defeating the purpose of insurance coverage and shared risk. The bill sets up a discriminatory system in which women are required to spend more than men for their medical care. Women typically pay 68% more than men over the course of their lifetime for health care. SB 92 would perpetuate this unfair practice.
“Women's personal health care decisions should be made privately between her and her doctor without interference from politicians,” said Subeck. “Banning insurance coverage for abortion does not reduce the need for the service. This is a blatant attempt by extreme agenda-driven politicians to insert themselves into these personal health care decisions by creating a barrier for women to access the safe medical care they need.” This latest attack on women's health care comes just one day after a hastily scheduled Senate hearing on a bill to repeal the Healthy Youth Act and bring failed abstinence-only until marriage education back to Wisconsin classrooms. All of this comes on the heels of a complete decimation of the state's family planning programs in the biennial budget, including the defunding of Planned Parenthood and drastic reductions to the Medicaid Family Planning program.
“The motives of Republicans in the State Senate are clear. They are using their so-called special session on jobs to continue driving forward their anti-choice, anti-contraception, and anti-women's health agenda,” concluded Subeck. “By passing SB 92, Senate Republicans have once again shown they are willing to put their extreme ideology ahead of creating jobs and resolving Wisconsin's economic crisis.” ###
| 
