MJSGov. Scott Walker's administration is considering whether to end a soon-to-expire contract with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin in which the group has helped women get cancer screenings.
Through the $138,000 contract, the state has paid for two caseworkers with Planned Parenthood to work in Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Sheboygan counties. Planned Parenthood doesn't perform the tests but instead helps low-income women sign up for and receive them.
State Health Services spokeswoman Beth Kaplan said no final decision has been made on whether to renew the Planned Parenthood contract, which ends Dec. 31. Kaplan said the state is committed to continuing the service regardless of who receives the contract.
But in a statement, Planned Parenthood said it was told Dec. 1 that the contract with the group would not be renewed and has not had any follow-up response from the state since. In a letter to Walker, Teri Huyck, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said the state needs to make clear how the service will be provided going forward, or the "health and lives of women in these counties" could be at risk.
Republicans have been critical of Planned Parenthood, and in some cases stopped public funding for the group because its work includes providing abortions and contraceptive services.
Planned Parenthood does not do the sign-up work for cancer screenings in other counties outside the four involved in the contract in question. In most counties, including Milwaukee County, it is handled by public health departments.
HT Joel at The Practicing Catholic
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