Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester)
It remains unclear whether the Legislature will act before the session ends on a bill that would ban the sale of aborted fetal tissue in Wisconsin.
The proposal picked up steam last summer after a series of secretly recorded videos claimed to show Planned Parenthood officials form others states discussing the sale of tissue collected from abortions. The service provider argued those videos misrepresented their practices. Many states investigated the organization and found no wrongdoing.
The Wisconsin bill would ban tissue sales, along with the transfer of tissue collected from abortions. Critics of the legislation argue that could impact vital research being done in the University of Wisconsin System and the private sector, which relies on tissue derived from aborted fetuses.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said on Tuesday that there continue to be differing views on how to resolve those concerns, with Republicans still divided on the issue. “People are still trying to find any kind of a middle ground,” Vos said…also noting that there also do not appear to be enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill. “You have some who are on the far end of the pro-life movement who don’t really want to make any changes, and others who want to make sure we protect research.”
With the Assembly expected to wrap up its session for the year sometime next week, it appears unlikely lawmakers will be able to find agreement before then. “We have tried for a while to find that consensus…I don’t know if we’re going to find it, but I certainly hope we do,” Vos said.