The group issued a statement today, in response to last week's mailing to Racine of 44,000 plastic fetuses by the Racine Chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life.
"In a perfect world, every pregnancy would be celebrated and each infant would be welcomed healthy and hearty into a community dedicated to the unlimited potential of every individual," the organization declared. "It is a world worth having, but one we are unlikely to achieve with the current impasse of opinion on women’s reproductive rights and increasingly limited access to health care and family planning options in Racine."
The group singled out Rep. Robin Vos, R-63rd Assembly District, criticizing his efforts on a number of issues relating to reproductive issues.
The rest of their statement after the break.
Thirty-four years after the Roe v. Wade ruling; there remain many salient reminders that the battle to protect women's health and safety is not over. Recently, State Rep. Robin Vos argued against and sought to amend the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill, seeking to deny rape victim’s access to emergency contraception. This summer, when Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, asked for special funding to battle Racine’s infant mortality problem, the highest in the state of Wisconsin, Rep. Vos initially argued against it because “no one told him it was a priority.”
In addition to Compassionate Care for Rape Victims (SB166), Mr. Vos voted to dismantle the Healthy Women Program (SB552), voted to allow health care providers to withhold information and services to women even when their lives depended on it (AB207), voted to allow concealed and lethal weapons into health care facilities (SB403), and he voted to ban prescribing, dispensing and advertising birth control on UW campuses (AB343).
At the county level, as of Dec. 31, the Racine County Human Services Department discontinued Brighter Futures funding for all health departments in Racine County. This includes the City of Racine Health Department's Teen Parenting Program, despite the extremely high number of teen births in the city. Brighter Futures was a bi-partisan initiative begun by Governor Thompson to reduce teen pregnancy and other risky youth behaviors in Wisconsin. This program worked to help teenagers make responsible choices and prevent pregnancy through abstinence or birth control and to provide case management services for teenage parents to gain parenting skills and finish high school. These fragile families are on the frontline of the battle to reduce our infant mortality as a community.
If we are to have a meaningful discussion about the health and welfare of women, we must first start with the basics: all people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, have rights that need to be respected. We deserve leadership that recognizes these rights and works to ensure the wellbeing of all people. While thoughtful people can disagree, we reject the attempts of special interest groups to reduce a complex social discussion down to public stunts. We urge opponents and supporters alike to work together this year to champion a prevention-first health care agenda that reduces unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion and helps build strong, healthy families.
What is the Women's Progressive Network of Racine County? We didn't know, so we asked their spokesperson, who sent us this information:
Initiated in the fall of 2007, the Women’s Progressive Network of Racine County is the result of an ongoing dialog between progressive and politically active local women who ultimately decided to combine resources, experience and information to create a hybrid organization which could be both agile and influential.
With no formal membership or association, the Women’s Progressive Network of Racine County facilitates a dialog with over 100 local women representing a variety of progressive organizations and agendas. The WPN serves to support women and educate the community on issues pertaining to:
Access to health care and reproductive freedom
Educational equity and opportunity
Human rights and social justice
Environmental safety and conservation
The Women’s Progressive Network of Racine County maintains a public website and moderates a private email community and blog.
The Women’s Progressive Network encompasses business and civic leaders in the community who work together to coordinate resources and information, advocate for political accountability and positive societal change that directly benefit the lives of women and their families in Racine County.
The organization's website is HERE. Membership is by referral and only open to women.
Hmmm "no one told him [Robin Vos] it was a priority' and instead he picks up the cause of the mute swan. Something is amiss in his attempt to represent Racine. Sex happens in Caledonia, Robin, as you WELL know.
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