WI Assembly Passes Abortion, Sex Ed. Bills
The Republican led Wisconsin assembly puts Church mandates ahead of jobs bills. They failed on the mining bill, but passed what the church wanted. The GOP is owned by theocrats. The Wisconsin Catholic Conference has more power than the women voters of Wisconsin.
The state Assembly passed bills limiting insurance coverage for abortions and requiring schools to teach abstinence during a late-night session that lasted until Wednesday morning as they pushed to tie up pending legislation.
The Legislature was poised to adjourn today without passing its two highest priorities coming into the year: a mining bill to help create hundreds of jobs in northern Wisconsin and a measure pumping money into venture capital to help spur new business creation.
Instead, lawmakers spent the early morning hours Wednesday fighting over abortion rights and sex education.
Democrats decried the abortion and sex education bills as part of a national war on women, but they didn’t have the votes to stop them.
Rep. Donna Seidel, D-Wausau, said voters expected the Legislature to focus on improving the economy and creating jobs.
“They feel let down,” Seidel said. “And what are we doing in these last hours to get that important work done? We are arguing about advancing an extreme social agenda that is nothing about that.”
The Republican-controlled Assembly voted 60-34 to pass a bill that would require schools to teach abstinence as the only reliable way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The measure, backed by Pro-Life Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, also allows schools to teach abstinence-only classes, which was banned under a 2010 law passed by Democrats. No contraception education would be required.