A couple of hot-button abortion bills are up for hearings at the state Capitol on Wednesday.
Pregnant women seeking an abortion on account of the sex of their unborn child might get turned down, under a bill offered by state Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake). “The legislation is designed to at least discourage abortions based on a sex selection type of motivation,” Kestell said. “The United States is notably one of the few developed countries in the world that doesn’t have some kind of restriction on sex-based abortion.”
Kestell claims “there are studies” that show male/female birthrate anomalies in some communities, though he doesn’t offer any evidence of such procedures being performed in Wisconsin. “What the idea here is, is to cause providers to ask the question, and to avoid catering to sex selection type abortions,” Kestell said.
Also up for a public hearing, a bill that would weaken state law requiring that contraceptives be included in health plans that cover other prescriptions. The bill would provide religious exemption for that, while also restricting the access of public employees to abortion service if any public money is involved.