No Gifts For Mothers as Republican Legislature Undermines Women’s Health in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — Mere days before commemorating Mother’s Day committees in the Republican controlled state legislature acted to gut the funding source for the “Healthy Women, Healthy Babies” budget initiative and further imperil women’s access to birth control and medically accurate reproductive information. One Wisconsin Now Research Director, and mother of two, Joanna Beilman-Dulin blasted the disrespect being shown to women by partisan politicians trying to interfere in decisions that ought to be made by women with their families.

“This is what happens when mostly male politicians decide they know better than women,” said Beilman-Dulin. “These guys need to show women the respect we deserve not just on Mother’s Day but every day by letting us make our own decisions about our own health care.”

As part of the proposed 2019 state budget, Gov. Tony Evers included a $28 million “Healthy Women, Healthy Babies” initiative to improve women’s access to preventative and maternal care and to address shocking racial disparities in the health of women and babies.

Republican action taken at the behest of the male leaders of the Republicans Senate and Assembly majorities to eliminate a Medicaid expansion blows a $1.4 billion hole in the state budget, imperiling funds for Healthy Women, Healthy Babies and more.

A separate bill, authored by two men, would mandate health care professionals to give women information suggesting the effects of abortion inducing medication could be reversed. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has termed this “unproven and unethical.”

A legislative committee also voted to advance a proposal to take funding away from Planned Parenthood. Previous Republican imposed cuts of this nature resulted in numerous Planned Parenthood clinic closures and women losing access to providers of birth control and health care services in their communities.

Beilman-Dulin concluded, “Respect for mothers should be about more than a bouquet of flowers or a nice brunch on one day out of the year, and it shouldn’t end when the clock strikes midnight this Sunday.”