Pro-Life Wisconsin 2009-2010 Legislative Agenda

Blocking the "Birth Control Protection Act"

The so-called "Birth Control Protection Act" has been introduced the past several legislative sessions and actually passed the State Senate in 2008.  This counterfactual and unconstitutional legislation would force all licensed Wisconsin pharmacists, regardless of their medical and moral judgment, to dispense the morning-after pill and other FDA-approved abortifacient birth control drugs.  The legislation also redefines the statutory definition of abortion to exclude all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices.  Violators would be subject to current law standard of practice penalties ranging from forfeitures to license revocation. This bill clearly violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution which guarantees the right to freely exercise one's religious convictions.  It further violates our Wisconsin Constitution which expressly protects liberty of conscience.  No pharmacist should have to daily check his or her conscience at the door.  PLW will work hard to block this legislation that attacks the conscience rights of our pro-life pharmacists.

Protecting preborn children in the Wisconsin Constitution

Since Pro-Life Wisconsin (PLW) was founded in 1992, we have steadily worked toward our ambitious goal of total legal protection for every preborn child in our state.  To that end, PLW has gathered over 10,000 signatures in a statewide petition drive building public support for a constitutional amendment to protect our preborn brothers and sisters.  Restoring personhood to the unborn child, with respect to the right to life and without exception, would oblige the state to ban all abortions, including even those claimed to save the life of the mother.  It is the foremost duty of the state to protect its citizenry, especially those most vulnerable.  Wisconsinites, born and preborn, deserve total and permanent legal protection of their right to life - and inalienable right grounded in natural law.  Only by enshrining the right to life in our state constitution will preborn children be afforded full and lasting legal protection.  PLW will work to introduce a constitutional amendment protecting preborn children without exception

Blocking expansion of the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program

PLW has worked hard for several legislative sessions to protect our teen girls from a physically and morally destructive program called the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program.  The Family Planning Waiver Program currently provides free, taxpayer-funded birth control to 15, 16 and 17-year old girls without their parents' knowledge or consent.  Federal and state law prohibits parents from being notified that their minor daughters are receiving free contraceptives under this program.  This undermines parental authority and increases underage pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by encouraging sexual promiscuity.  Governor Doyle in his biennial budget bill has again proposed expanding the state's Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program to men aged 15 to 44.  PLW will work to block this budget provision expanding access to the Family Planning Waiver Program.

Blocking the repeal of Wisconsin's pre-Roe v. Wade criminal abortion law

For decades, pro-abortion legislators have been introducing bills to repeal Wisconsin Statute 940.04:  Wisconsin's pre-Roe v. Wade criminal abortion statute.  It is expected that legislation will be reintroduced that would repeal 940.04, which is currently unenforceable.  If Roe were to be overturned, Wisconsin is one of four

states that have existing statutes criminalizing abortion that would take effect.  Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly opposes rescinding this law.  Wisconsin Statute 940.04 contains tough penalties for performing an abortion.  Regrettably, 940.04 allows abortions "if necessary to save the life of the mother."  Should Roe be overturned someday and the abortion issue remanded to the states, this exception would have to be corrected either by amending the statute or, preferably, the state constitution.  Pro-Life Wisconsin will work to defeat any effort to remove Wisconsin Statute 940.04.

Protecting the conscience rights of pro-life pharmacists

The "Pharmacist Conscience Clause Bill" is much needed legislation that would protect the right of pharmacists to conscientiously refuse to engage in practices that violate the sanctity of human life.  Current Wisconsin law already protects health care employees (licensed physicians, certified physician assistants, hospital employees, and licensed nurses) from being fired or otherwise discriminated against based on a conscientious refusal to participate in surgical abortion and sterilization.  The Pharmacists Conscience Clause Bill would extend conscience protections to pharmacists who refuse to participate in chemical abortion and euthanasia.  It would protect pharmacists who conscientiously refuse to dispense the morning-after pill and other abortion-causing hormonal contraceptives.  Pharmacists would be exempt from professional liability or disciplinary action and would be shielded from employment discrimination based on creed.  PLW will work to introduce and pass the Pharmacist Conscience Clause Bill.

Blocking the legalization of physician-assisted suicide

Legislation legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Wisconsin has been introduced every legislative session since the early 1990's.  In 2008 the bill received a public hearing for the first time in 10 years.  Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly opposes this legislation.  We must never allow the state to sanction the destruction of the vulnerable disabled, elderly, depressed or other marginalized lives around us.  The bill would "permit certain individuals to make written requests for medication for the purpose of ending their lives."  It would legalize assisted suicide for people over the age of 18 who have a "terminal disease" and who make a written request to their attending physician for medication to kill themselves.  A physician who refuses to participate in the assisted suicide must make a good faith attempt to transfer the patient to another physician whom he or she knows will help kill the patient.  If the physician does not make an attempt to transfer, he or she may be charged with "unprofessional conduct."  PLW will fight any legislation legalizing assisted suicide in our state.