LRB-1443/1
TJD:ahe
2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
February 15, 2017 - Introduced by Senators C. Larson, Johnson, Erpenbach,
Risser, Ringhand, L. Taylor and Vinehout, cosponsored by Representatives
C. Taylor, Brostoff, Sargent, Bowen, Crowley, Subeck, Berceau, Spreitzer,
Kolste, Ohnstad, Pope, Sinicki, Zamarripa and Hesselbein. Referred to
Committee on Senate Organization.
SJR11,1,1 1Relating to: stating the legislature's declaration that abortion is health care.
SJR11,1,62 Whereas, the state of Wisconsin is committed to a quality health care system
3that meets the needs of all of its citizens, and affordable abortion care is an essential
4component of this health care system. Since about 3 in 10 women will have an
5abortion in their lifetimes, it is one of the most common medical procedures in the
6United States; and
SJR11,1,107 Whereas, abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the United States.
8Aspiration abortion, for example, causes no complications in 99 percent of cases, and
9medication abortion causes no complications in more than 99.9 percent of cases,
10making it safer than Tylenol, aspirin, and Viagra; and
SJR11,1,1511 Whereas, abortion has become less accessible. The number of abortion clinics
12has declined by about 40 percent over the past three decades. Today, almost 90
13percent of counties in the United States do not have an abortion provider and 38
14percent of women of reproductive age live in those counties. Four states have only
15one provider and at least ten states have three or fewer providers; and
SJR11,2,7
1Whereas, abortion is an essential component of health care because it provides
2all women the ability to plan and space their pregnancies, which clearly improves
3women's physical, psychological, and economic well-being. For example, evidence
4shows that women who have a wanted abortion are better able to maintain a positive
5future outlook and achieve their aspirational life plans. Similarly, evidence clearly
6demonstrates that if a woman seeks an abortion and access is delayed or denied, she
7is at greater risk of experiencing adverse health and economic outcomes; and
SJR11,2,128 Whereas, abortion is an essential component of health care for women with
9lower incomes. A five-year examination of the effects of unintended pregnancy on
10women's lives by the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health research
11group, known as ANSIRH, found that the main reason women terminate their
12pregnancies is because they cannot afford to have a child; and
SJR11,2,1613 Whereas, abortion is an essential component of health care for women who face
14medical problems, such as a woman who is diagnosed with cancer in the middle of
15pregnancy and must make a choice between obtaining an abortion or forgoing
16lifesaving chemotherapy; and
SJR11,2,2017 Whereas, abortion is an essential component of health care for young teenagers
18who become pregnant, such as a girl who must make a choice between obtaining an
19abortion or running the risk of enduring severe, lasting damage to her physical
20health; and
SJR11,2,2421 Whereas, abortion is an essential component of health care for women who
22experience major problems in pregnancy, such as a woman who finds out that her
23fetus would only live for a few hours past birth and carrying that pregnancy to term
24might severely damage her ability to bear other children in the future; and
SJR11,3,9
1Whereas, the practice of abortion care, like all health care, should be driven by
2evidence-based standards developed and supported by medical professionals, but
3instead, patients and providers are required to overcome numerous barriers erected
4by abortion opponents. These barriers—waiting periods, so-called “ counseling”
5requirements, bans on insurance coverage, limits on who can perform abortions, and
6laws that are targeted regulation of abortion providers or TRAP laws—are not
7intended to protect a woman's safety but are designed to coerce women into giving
8birth to unwanted children. They serve no purpose other than to make abortion more
9difficult and expensive; and
SJR11,3,1210 Whereas, when abortion opponents argue for onerous regulations and
11procedures, they are treating abortion care as if it is a separate issue apart from
12health care, but abortion is, in fact, health care; now, therefore, be it
SJR11,3,14 13Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin
14legislature is committed to ensuring that:
SJR11,3,1515 abortion is recognized as an essential component of women's health care;
SJR11,3,1716 abortion care is made affordable and accessible throughout Wisconsin and
17integrated into the health care safety net;
SJR11,3,1918 state, city, and county health departments promote policies and take steps to
19increase access to abortion care;
SJR11,3,2020 both public and private health insurance covers abortion care;
SJR11,3,2421 facilities providing abortion care or health care professionals providing
22abortion care are not subjected to regulations more burdensome than those imposed
23on facilities or health care professionals that provide medically comparable
24procedures;
SJR11,3,2525 all qualified health care professionals are able to provide abortion care; and
SJR11,4,2
1health care professionals providing abortion care are able to follow best medical
2practices developed and supported by scientific evidence.
SJR11,4,33 (End)
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