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Thursday, February 23, 2012
Senate passes controversial abortion bill along party lines
Brad Fedie/cardinal File Photo
Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette will officially declare his candidacy Thursday for the likely gubernatorial recall election.
La Follette to join in Walker recall race have made the formal step of filThe Daily Cardinal ing papers,” La Follette said. “I’ve The field of candidates vying to not been included in those polls, challenge Gov. Scott Walker in his so it is hard to assess my total likely recall election will expand strength across the state.” Thursday when Wisconsin In a speech on Feb. 1, La Secretary of State Doug La Follette Follette said he would limit any declares his candidacy. campaign contributions to him to The seven-term Secretary $20 if running for governor. of State and relative of former The recall election has not Wisconsin Gov. Robert M. La been confirmed, as the GAB Follette pointed to his is still verifying that statewide recognition, enough valid signatures the strong support he were gathered, but it has among independents will likely take place this and record of winning as summer. reasons he would make a State Sen. Kathleen good candidate. Vinehout, D-Alma, and “Tomorrow morning on former Dane County my way to work ...I’m going Executive Kathleen to stop at the Government LA FOLLETTE Falk are the only other Accountability Board and candidates to officialfile for a possible run for governor,” ly declare their candidacy so La Follette said Wednesday. far. Speculation surrounding La Follette said he has been get- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett ting a lot of support on his Facebook entering the race intensified page and website from around the when he made an appearance on state, but added to really gage his “Up Front with Mike Gousha” popularity among voters he needs Sunday. to officially declare candidacy. Barrett, who lost to Walker “The statewide polls so far in the 2010 election, said he is have only included two or three “seriously considering” running candidates because some of them in the likely recall election.
By Tyler Nickerson
After intense deliberation, the state Senate reconvened Wednesday morning to pass a bill Republicans say would more effectively prevent a woman from being coerced into receiving an abortion. The bill, passed along party lines, requires a physician to speak privately with a woman before an abortion to ensure consent and perform a physical examination. If a physician does not follow the law, he or she could receive a felony charge. In addition, the bill requires a physician to be present when the abortion drugs are administered, preventing “web cam abortions” in which the physician can administer abortioninducing drugs over a live video stream. Such procedures are just now being introduced to Wisconsin but currently occurring in Minnesota and Iowa. “For far too long, numbers of women have reported that they were coerced into having abortions,” Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life Barbara Lyons said in a statement Wednesday. “This bill ensures that an assessment will be made to determine if a woman’s consent to an abortion is voluntary.”
But Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin views the bill as a dangerous proposal intended to advance the pro-life cause. “Senate Bill 306 is just another unnecessary and politically motivated attack on women’s health care,” said Tanya Atkinson, executive director for Planned Parenthood Advocates
of Wisconsin, a pro-choice advocacy group. “Rather than focus on our economy and the need to enhance health care access, legislators are working to dictate medical practices and implement policies that are unnecessary,” Atkinson added. — Kendalyn Thoma
stephanie daher/cardinal file photo
The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that requires a physician to be present when abortion drugs are administered.
Republicans decline to redraw district lines Federal judges ask lawmakers to draft new maps By Sarah Olson The Daily Cardinal
Republicans refused to make changes Wednesday to election maps signed into law last year despite pressure to redraw the maps from a judicial panel that questioned their legitimacy earlier this week. Democrats are suing Republican legislators claiming the new legislative maps are unconstitutional and violate the Voting Rights Act because they divide certain heavily Latino areas in Milwaukee. Also, the panel of three federal judges hearing the case criticized Republicans lack of transparency or public input in drafting the maps. At Tuesday’s hearing, the judges overseeing the case told Republican lawmakers they are legally allowed to change the
maps and address the issues in the suit, despite Republican claims that a Supreme Court ruling prohibits them from changing the maps more than once every 10 years. They gave Republican lawmakers until 4 p.m. Wednesday to decide whether they would change the maps. “Today the Republicans showed disrespect to the federal judges who offered them the opportunity to do this the right way, the Wisconsin way,” Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, said in a statement Wednesday. “It could have been done in a manner that respected Wisconsin values of openness, public inclusion and transparency.” Andrew Welhouse, spokesperson for Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, declined to comment on the proceedings Wednesday. Despite the Republican decision not to change the maps, the lawsuit will continue. Joe Shanksy, spokesperson for Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant-rights group involved in
the lawsuit, said the group is “ready to testify in court tomorrow” following the Republican’s decision. The trial will resume in Milwaukee Thursday morning. The maps were passed last year with a Republican majority in both the state Senate and Assembly. States are required to draw new maps of congressional and legislative districts every 10 years based on the U.S. census to ensure the population is equally distributed between districts.
“It could have been done in a way that respected Wisconsin values of openness, public inclusion and transparency.” Gary Hebl state rep. D-Sun Prairie
Last week, a bipartisan pair of legislators introduced a bill that would take redistricting process out of the egislature’s hands and create a bipartisan commission to create new districts.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”