Wisconsin Senate Passes Bill Ending Abortion Coverage for State Employees

Madison, WI – On an 18-14 vote last night, the Wisconsin Senate passed legislation to prohibit elective abortion coverage in Wisconsin’s public health insurance plans. Having passed the Wisconsin Assembly last November, Assembly Bill (AB) 128 now heads to Governor Walker for his expected signature. If AB 128 becomes law, Wisconsin taxpayers would no longer pay for state employees’ abortions.

“Pro-Life Wisconsin thanks Senate Republicans for persevering in their ongoing effort to end taxpayer funding of abortion in our state,” said Matt Sande, PLW Legislative Director. “We especially thank the bill’s authors, Senator Dave Craig and Representatives André Jacque, Ron Tusler and Janel Brandtjen.”

Abortion - the direct, intentional killing of a preborn child - is not health care. In poll after poll, Americans overwhelmingly say they oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. Politico and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a poll in September 2016 showing that a majority of likely voters, 58 percent, opposed the use of Medicaid funds to pay for abortion. Similarly, a July 2016 Marist poll found that 62 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.

“We must fully end taxpayer funding of abortion in Wisconsin,” said Sande. “It’s bad enough that child killing is legal. At the very least, taxpayers should not be forced to fund it.”

Pro-Life Wisconsin