Will Pro-Life Wisconsin rescind Scott Walker endorsement after condom comments?

Today Scott Walker delivered his nomination papers to the Government Accountability Board. A reporter asked about his endorsement by Pro-Life Wisconsin (who also endorsed Walker challenger Mark Neumann), a group whose anti-choice position extends so far right as to oppose all forms of contraception.

Walker refused to comment on Pro-Life Wisconsin’s platform, referring to his legislative record as “pro-life” but when the reporter asked him if he opposed condoms (as PLW does) Walker said, “To me that’s not a position of the government.”

Bravo to Walker for actually taking a limited government position after all his rhetoric, but how will this bode for Pro-Life Wisconsin’s endorsement of Walker? Among the group’s extreme positions;

“We urge our elected officials to ban surgical abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life and health of the mother.”

Walker’s statement that the government has no business intervening in condom use seems completely sane to most people, but when your policy is against terminating a pregnancy when the life of the mother is on the line?

Hypocrisy has always been rampant among the conservative base — limited government, except when the government should legislate morality — so I’m not holding my breath for the endorsement to be rescinded, but there is the chance Walker could “clarify” (retract) his statement.

Curiously, Wisconsin Right to Life’s Google ad calls its group “The most effective pro-life organization in Wisconsin,” perhaps an acknowledgement that Pro-Life Wisconsin’s extreme policy positions are counter-productive within the anti-choice movement.

Wisconsin Right to Life is out of touch, and ideology is blinding

Wisconsin Right to Life just reaffirmed their status as backwards and out of touch, lamenting the “court-ordered death” of Terri Schiavo five years ago. If WRTL thinks this stunt will win the group new fans, they are mistaken.

Polling done before and after the family-feud-turned-national-ordeal shows no public support for any WRTL positions, from government intervention, to the husband’s right to make a decision for his spouse, to people’s own personal wishes should they be in a vegetative state.

The Schiavo-”Life” fiasco was and is a case of ideology trumping reason and decency. WRTL wants abortion outlawed. I understand that. They are wrong in their desire to allow a foreign entity control over the internal affairs of a woman’s body, but I get where they’re coming from. The extrapolation of banning abortion to keeping humans in a vegetative state for 15 years, I do not understand. And I don’t think Wisconsin Right to Life does either.

The group says and does many things at odds, logically. Their television commercial “Repeats,” in addition to presenting dubious and undocumented “facts” bemoans women “using abortion as contraception” (see dubious and undocumented) yet actively opposes any effort to provide or promote contraception or contraceptive education. There can be no abortions without pregnancies. Contraception prevents pregnancies. Not as simple as it sounds, but simple nonetheless.

The right-wing cannot square their largest pillar of ideology, limited government, with support of the anti-choice movement. Government could not be bigger when it dictates a woman’s actions inside her own body. Why would government want to? The choice of a woman affects that woman first and foremost, far more than any other entity, and certainly of no significance to officials in government or a protester at a clinic. Without coming close to a compelling interest in the matter, government should stay out.

Abortion is a contentious issue and not a topic I enjoy discussing much. People generally have their minds made up and imploring them to take one position or the other is generally futile. Ideology can be a burden. Beyond the abortion debate, do not allow yourself to be blinded by ideology. Generally speaking a limited government is ideal, and a health insurance mandate goes against the concept. But with millions of American’s uninsured due to pre-existing conditions, the only way to guarantee that important coverage is to force insurers to cover people regardless of a pre-existing condition. The only manner to prevent citizens gaming the system by not purchasing insurance until they are sick is a mandate.

What’s more important, a limited government theory already flawed from loopholes based on morality (see drugs, abortion and federal involvement in Michael Schiavo’s care for his wife) or millions of lives?

Wisconsin Right to Life would deny health care reform for benefit of GOP cronies

The Wisconsin Right to Life (until birth only) is assaulting the recently passed health care bill. This is not surprising at all, as both of Wisconsin’s leading anti-choice groups have proven to be anti-health care as well. An executive order and pages of legislation barring federal funds from paying for abortions is not enough for the far-right, anti-choice groups. They are Republicans at heart and like the Congressional Republicans, want to see reform fail for their own political gain.

The final votes in favor of the bill were delivered when President Obama pledged to sign an executive order reaffirming the current prohibition on federally subsidized abortion. WRTL Legislative Director Susan Armacost says of Obama’s executive order;

“It changes nothing”

Correct Susan. The Hyde Amendment remains intact. Federal funds will not be used for any abortion (except in the case of rape, incest or the life of the woman is endangered). Within 180 days the OMB and Secretary of HHS will have guidelines for the segregation of funds by private insurance companies to ensure that not one federal dollar goes to abortion. Yet all of this is still not enough…

The National Right to Life Committee parrots the worst GOP talking points on reform, claiming rationing and premature death;

“The health care restructuring bill…will, if not repealed before its most dangerous provisions come into effect, result in the rationing denial of lifesaving medical treatment, and consequent premature and involuntary death, of an unknown but immense number of Americans.”

In this memo the NRLC evokes the thoroughly debunked “death panel” scare-tactic in everything but the name.

The anti-choice groups are terribly short-sighted. For the political gain of their anti-choice GOP cronies they would discard health care for millions of people. Obstruct reform to maybe elect Republicans which might result in further restrictions on abortion isn’t much of a prize, considering the sacrifices.

President Obama just signed the reform bill into law. Federal money still won’t be spent on abortions. A “right to life” doesn’t mean much when you’re dead because a pre-existing condition prevented you from getting insurance.

Anti-choice Democrats short-sighted, like a certain religion

The anti-choice Democrats in Congress remind me of Catholics over the past decade. Willing, even eager, to ignore the bigger picture over a single issue. That single issue is the same with both parties — abortion.

Many Catholics chose to vote for George W. Bush and the Republican party, solely for their stance on abortion. Never mind that the church is vehemently against the death penalty and deemed the war in Iraq “unjust,” both contrary to Republican ideology. Abortion reigned supreme to most Catholics, despite the fact a GOP in charge of both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government would still fail to implement a ban.

Currently several Democrats are willing to throw out health care for millions of Americans, because federal subsidies going to citizens for the purpose of purchasing insurance could go to companies offering coverage for abortion under any insurance plan, whether purchased with subsidized funds or not. This situation featuring multiple variables is enough for these Democrats to block insurance for millions of uninsured citizens.

The analogy is not perfect. With Democrats in charge of both branches the war in Iraq rages on and the death penalty isn’t going anywhere. Health care reform is up in the air, at best. But these Democrats  are stretching the issue much further than the Catholics ever did, due to the insignificant levels of funding (down to plans that are not subsidized, merely offered by the same company) compared to insurance for millions currently suffering without.

If a reform bill does finally pass both houses of Congress, it must not contain any equivalents to the Nelson or Stupak amendments. Groups like Wisconsin Right to Life tell outright lies, claiming health care reform will result in massive taxpayer funding of abortions. The group’s eagerness to kill health care reform shows how tiny a fragment of “life” WRTL is concerned with.

Planned Parenthood advocates quality, affordable health care for all Americans. They know how badly America needs reform and so do millions of uninsured Americans.

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No ill will meant toward any Catholics, and I’m not grouping them all together either. I can’t emphasize enough that I’m not trying to be anti-Catholic with this post. I suffered through CCD all the way to Confirmation, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ll let you live your life.

Wisconsin anti-choice groups running interference as Healthy Youth Act signed into law

The right-wing womb-invaders at Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin are going crazy over a disgusting “undercover” video by anti-choice Live Action showing an actor portraying a 14-year-old seeking counseling at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Milwaukee. The “shocker” here is the girl claims she was impregnated by a 31-year-old.

The premise of the video is PP should have reported the case to authorities as the intercourse was illegal. But the reality of the situation is not as Live Action attempts to portray. The Planned Parenthood employee counseling the actor immediately asks if the sex was consensual, to which the actor replied “yes.” The counselor also tells the actor that if she reports to the termination provider the age of the fictional man who “impregnated” her the contrived incident could be reported to authorities. The actor clearly does not wish for the incident to be reported, and at this stage it appears the counselor has not yet obtained any of the necessary information to report it. If the counselor were to tell the “pregnant” actor she had to provide information for the counselor to report the incident, the actor, were she a real teenager in trouble with a pregnancy, would surely exit the clinic leaving the incident unreported either way.

Pro-Life Wisconsin goes so far to make the abhorrent claim;

“Planned Parenthood does not care about the children of Wisconsin, just the money for abortions.”

In fact it is PLW that does not care about the children of Wisconsin. The group demonstrates this not only in their opposition to choice for Wisconsin women of all ages, but in their opposition to education as well.

Today Governor Doyle is signing into law the Healthy Youth Act, mandating comprehensive sex education in Wisconsin’s public schools. PLW, along with WRTL vehemently oppose the law. A purpose of comprehensive sex education is fewer pregnant youth which throws the right-wing argument that Planned Parenthood wants more abortions out the window.

The Live Action video was shot June 25, 2008. The release a year and a half later, the day before the Healthy Youth Act is signed into law shows the anti-choice right-wing as the cheap stunt-purveyors they are. While civilized Wisconsin is celebrating education, Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin run interference. While Planned Parenthood fights for reproductive rights, WRTL and PLW promotes the denial of care to young women over reporting requirements.

Support your local Planned Parenthood. We all scored a victory with the Healthy Youth Act but the right-wing groups will  stop at nothing, including blatant lies, to drag Wisconsin back into the dark ages.

Wisconsin Right to Life is anti-democracy

Wisconsin Right to Life is taking on the state Senate for considering (now, passing) a bill to regulate paid communications with the purpose of influencing an election because an impending Supreme Court ruling might declare such legislation unconstitutional. Oh, and it would limit WRTL anonymously funded, unregulated attack ads;

“The State Senate is poised to vote tomorrow on a bill that would force citizen organizations (ones that are not political action committees) to reveal the personal information of their donors to the State if a citizen organization issued a communication mentioning the name of a candidate within 60 days of an election.”

While the groups referred to are not technically political action committees, they are definitely groups that take political action. Using technicalities in the tax code they are able to advocate to limited degrees without disclosing a source of funding.

Legislative and PAC director Susan Armacost’s own words work against the group (emphasis mine);

“Senate Bill 43 is an affront to the First Amendment rights of citizens and citizen organizations who should be able to freely engage in political discourse.”

Television commercials are not free. They are expensive and their purchase is limited to wealthy individuals and groups. Allowing unfettered spending on commercials attempting to influence elections is an affront to democracy, not the First Amendment.

Armacost claims the state Senate is “oblivious” to the coming Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United v. FEC;

“To hold a vote on the bill prior to the Court’s ruling is both foolhardy and a waste of state resources.”

If a subsequent ruling (however wrongheaded) deems the bill unconstitutional so be it. However the 26-7 passage should send a message to the bills detractors that Wisconsinites are not interested in elections determined by those with the deepest pockets.

Wisconsin “Pro-Life” Groups Are Anything But

Both of Wisconsin’s anti-contraception, anti-women’s health advocacy groups are spreading falsehoods and endangering citizens again this week.  Wisconsin Right to Life demonstrates tighter abortion restrictions outrank the health of Americans, while Pro-Life Wisconsin publicizes a stunt disparaging Planned Parenthood doctors.

With the Senate defeating the Nelson/Hatch amendment WRTL claims;

“Senators…voted to keep abortion covered in the proposed federal government insurance program.”

The federal government insurance program? Like a public option? Like the dead public option? The amendments defeat does not put the federal government in the abortion business, no matter how you spin it.

So WRTL is “in strong opposition to the Reid pro-abortion health care bill.” The abortion opposing Senate majority leader is pushing a pro-abortion bill? That doesn’t make any sense…but neither does fighting health care for Americans.

Also outrageous is WRTL’s claim Sen. Herb Kohl lied when saying “I do not want health care to be used as a vehicle to expand abortion access” because he voted against the amendment. A vote against restricting abortion rights does not contradict a position against abortion expansion.

Pro-Life Wisconsin joins the “liar, liar” name-calling, accusing a Planned Parenthood doctor of lying to an undercover operative posing as a confused and moronic (asking multiple times “what’s a fetus?”) potential patient. In Peggy Hamill’s (PLW director) world, statements contrary to her opinion are lies. The rest of us do not operate under that luxury Peggy. I don’t see a “Dr.” in front of your name, pardon me if I don’t take your statements on human growth and development over someone who does.

So-called “pro-life” groups are a threat to the health of our country. Without health there can be no life. By opposing any health care reform that does not further restrict abortion rights the anti-choice movement is selfishly seeking attention at the cost of human lives they claim to place such a high value on.

Stupak Amendment: Attack on Right to Choose

The Stupak amendment has got to go.

I posted a while back that I would be perfectly satisfied with a reform bill that didn’t allow funding for abortion. The procedure is relatively inexpensive compared to other medical treatments and the Hyde amendment has prohibited most federal abortion funding since the 70′s. A health care bill isn’t the place to address federal abortion policy in place for 30 years. That is exactly why Stupak’s amendment goes far beyond the realm of acceptable compromise.

The Stupak  amendment rolls back abortion rights, by preventing any companies receiving subsidies from covering the procedure. From Think Progress;

1. It effectively bans coverage for most abortions from all public and private health plans in the Exchange: In addition to prohibiting direct government funding for abortion, it also prohibits public money from being spent on any plan that covers abortion even if paid for entirely with private premiums. Therefore, no plan that covers abortion services can operate in the Exchange unless its subscribers can afford to pay 100% of their premiums with no assistance from government “affordability credits.” As the vast majority of Americans in the Exchange will need to use some of these credits, it is highly unlikely any plan will want to offer abortion coverage (unless they decide to use it as a convenient proxy to discriminate against low- and moderate-income Americans who tend to have more health care needs and incur higher costs).

Obama just said on MSNBC that this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill, and it needs work. I take that to mean Obama finds the above provision unacceptable. Wisconsin Right to Life claims the president has a “radical pro-abortion agenda.” I hope he proves it by stomping out Stupak’s attempt to undermine what has been the right of American women since 1973.

Wisconsin Right to Life Speaks Out in Support of Choice

Wisconsin Right to Life issued a press release today advocating freedom of choice for Wisconsinites. The group is urging your Assembly representatives to vote against the Impartial Justice bill (which passed the Senate 19-13 today) to publicly fund Wisconsin supreme court campaigns.

WRTL is a strong believer that;

“Individuals should have the right to determine which candidates they will financially support.”

When it comes to that individuals body however, the group believes the government must be firmly in control.

Enough with hypocrisy, on to misrepresentation. WRTL frames the public funding debate as;

“Forcing Wisconsin taxpayers into a situation where they are unwillingly supporting candidates they may not want elected.”

WRONG. Taxpayers are not supporting a candidate, they are supporting a campaign and (more importantly) a term on the state’s highest court uncorrupted by big money and corporate interests.

Give it a rest Wisconsin Right to Life. You are wrong about everything.

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Photoshop by Tim

Press Release Come Quickly for Lt. Gov Candidates/Dumb Ideas re: Healthy Children Act

When running for Lieutenant Governor, the press releases come fast. Yesterday Brett Davis issued another. Davis is the ranking Republican on the Assembly Education Committee and the press release was to announce the Assembly GOP’s agenda on education.

The GOP plan includes a return of the Qualified Economic Offer, the state providing two-thirds of school costs by 2015-16 (reducing property taxes) and something about state health insurance for teachers (that sentence, at the end of the second to last paragraph is terribly unclear). Absent from the statement is Rep. Davis’ support for tying teacher pay to student achievement.

Davis’ plan to link pay with test scores (bonuses go to all teachers at a school where students improve) is executed in the best possible way. I’m not sure its possible to make the program completely fair, meeting the bonus criteria will be easier in some districts than others. I believe WEAC is on board with the plan, in my eyes their support garners the program a little credibility.

The Democrats have a package of education legislation, Assembly bills 533-537. AB 533 would allow teacher pay to be linked to test scores (though I don’t believe it spells out the same conditions for payment Davis seeks). The performance-pay link doesn’t seem like a terrible idea to me, but Ed Garvey of Fighting Bob thinks differently. Check it out for another perspective.

Ultimately the reason the Assembly is looking to allow teacher pay to be evaluated based on test scores is to qualify for federal “Race to the Top” stimulus money. That might be a good idea, but again, Garvey has some interesting points to ponder, and I cannot articulate this argument enough because I have to go to work soon and want to touch on another point.

The narrow-minds at Wisconsin Right to Life sent a memo to members of the Assembly, set to vote today on AB 458, the Healthy Children Act which will prohibit abstinence-only education in our schools.  I wrote about Pro-Life Wisconsin’s take on the bill last month and the WRTL memo contains what is essentially the same garbage. New to press releases on the bill is State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R- West Bend) who states;

Shockingly, school districts now will be required to use instructional methods that do not create a bias on a pupil who is sexually active.

Does Grothman want our youth branded if they have sex?  He goes on to equate sex education with child molestation, so don’t consider his opinions on the issue especially relevant.

Thankfully the Assembly will pass 458, and future generations will not be as narrow-minded and idiotic as Grothman.

EDIT: h/t The Sconz Messed the first attempt up..