Republicans introduce bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

“Senator Lazich introduced yet another completely unnecessary abortion bill attacking women’s reproductive health and getting in the way of private doctor/patient relationships in a blatant attempt to distract the public after yesterday’s disappointing and predictable budget news.

As the Republicans attempt to change the subject from their dismal revenue projections, Wisconsin continues to suffer from four years of drastic cuts to education, miserable job creation numbers and outrageous attacks on women and health care providers.

If Legislative Republicans are so concerned with health care, instead of blindly following the Governor they should accept the federal Medicaid money and get Wisconsin out of this hole that they dug for us.”

“Last year, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and I was blessed to welcome him into my family.  Luckily, the pregnancy went smoothly and without complications.  Every day, women and men across the nation are faced with healthcare decisions that are deeply personal: from decisions to try chemotherapy over radiation, to undergo surgery to fix blood clots or simply take medication.

 

Can you imagine having your state legislator standing over you as you decide whether to have a mastectomy? Or having your legislator be in charge of your decision to get a vasectomy? Every day, families are faced with medical decisions that are deeply personal and private.

 

I am not a doctor, and I will never pretend to be.  Our role in the Legislature is not to be someone’s medical, personal, or spiritual guide.  The doctor-patient relationship should foster a compassionate place where families can make informed medical decisions based upon their own unique circumstances.  Unfortunately, some pregnancies are not like mine. Some end up with complications or serious health risks. Some end in miscarriage or with a woman’s life at risk.

 

As legislators, we are not in a position to make informed medical choices for others.  This bill intrudes into the rights of Wisconsin individuals to make private decisions affecting their healthcare and their families.  I stand with my Democratic colleagues in opposing this invasive legislation, and I remain committed to ensuring that every Wisconsinite has access to quality, safe healthcare.”

"The Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH) joins the medical community in strongly opposing recently proposed legislation that would prohibit all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Women’s health advocates continue to be frustrated with elected leaders who insist on inserting politics into important medical decisions and for denying a woman the ability to determine what is right for herself, in consultation with those she trusts the most.

While the vast majority of abortions (nearly 99 percent) occur before 20 weeks of gestation, these abortion bans are particularly dangerous proposals that restrict women’s access to compassionate medical care when they need it the most. This legislation targets women and families who are in a very vulnerable position as many women who choose to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks do so because of severe fetal abnormalities that are not discovered until their 20-week ultrasound or because the pregnancy has created a serious complication for the woman’s health. The proposed legislation only includes a very limited health exception that does not adequately account for many of the serious health risks that are associated with pregnancy.

“Women and families who find themselves in these very difficult situations are the last people politicians should single out with ill-conceived and dangerous restrictions on women’s health care,” said Sara Finger, WAWH Executive Director. “Not a single credible medical organization supports these types of abortion bans because they know that these decisions are best made between a woman and her doctor, not by politicians.”
The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) both oppose 20-week abortion bans because they are not grounded in medical evidence and unduly interfere with the patient-doctor relationship.

“The politicians who support this legislation need to realize that women are more than capable of making their own medical decisions that will affect them and their families without political interference,” said Finger. “Many of the politicians and political groups who support this legislation are the same people who have consistently opposed other policies that improve women’s health and reduce unintended pregnancies, such as access to birth control and medically accurate sex education. It’s time for these politicians to stick to politics and trust that women know what’s best for them and their families.”