Bill banning webcam abortions passes Wis. State Senate

The Wisconsin State Senate passed legislation on Wednesday that would prohibit the use of videoconferencing to prescribe and automatically dispense abortion-causing drugs such as mifepristone, also known as RU-486. Senate Bill 306, authored by Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), effectively prohibits so-called web cam abortions by requiring the prescribing physician to perform a physical exam of the woman and to be physically present in the room when the abortion-inducing drug is given to the woman. The bill also requires the woman to return to the abortion facility for a follow-up visit 12 to 18 days after the use of an abortion-inducing drug to confirm the termination of the pregnancy and evaluate the woman's medical condition. Senate Bill 306 passed on a party-line 17-15 vote. All Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Click here for a copy of the roll call vote and here for a Madison Capital Times story on the bill.

In 2010, Pro-Life Wisconsin warned of the likelihood of RU-486 web cam abortions in Wisconsin and the health dangers of mifepristone. We reported that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin dispenses birth control, which can act as an abortifacient, via teleconferencing. At the time, video phones, which are the size of a laptop computer, were at 10 Planned Parenthood locations, chosen because they are the organization’s Title X family planning clinics and receive funding from the federal government. Please see the full story here (scroll down to the bottom of the page).

Pro-Life Wisconsin thanks Senator Lazich and all Senate Republicans for passing this important legislation. Senate Bill 306 now advances to the State Assembly.

Pro-Life Wisconsin