As state legislators sat down Wednesday in the Capitol to hear Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget address, “my body, my choice” and “fight back, stand up” chants broke out among roughly 300 people in pink shirts gathered under the rotunda to lobby for Planned Parenthood funding.
Nicole Safar, a director at the rally’s organizing group—Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin—said the rally served as a joint message to both Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.
“In Wisconsin, we know what happens when the government kicks us out of a reproductive health care program,” Safar said. “That’s what Governor Walker did in 2011. It’s the same sort of proposal that Speaker Ryan is trying to bring forward in Congress.”
Three biennials ago, Walker’s budget blocked all state funding to Planned Parenthood.
Safar said Planned Parenthood had to close five clinics in rural Wisconsin after those cuts. She said Ryan should look at implications of those closures, such as 3,000 people from vulnerable populations losing access to over 18,000 health services, before pursuing a plan to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.
Renee Sullender, a second-year medical student at UW-Madison, said she and some of her classmates were attending the rally because they’re worried about the impact Planned Parenthood funding cuts would have on their patients.
“To us, this isn’t an abortion issue and it’s not a political issue. It’s about ensuring access to vital health-care resources,” Sullender said. “Already many low-income women don’t have access to reproductive healthcare. Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood like Speaker Ryan would like to do will only make problems worse.”
Miguel Lozano, a Madison College student, said he feels it’s especially important to stand up for an organization like Planned Parenthood because of the versatile health care services it offers.
“Planned Parenthood helps all genders,” Lozano said. “They offer services that a lot of different hospitals and organizations don’t.”
Gaps between Planned Parenthood chants were filled by anti-abortion attendees, one-by-one yelling phrases like “murderers” and “babies never choose to die.”
Josh Trewhella, an anti-abortion advocate from Milwaukee accompanied by his 8-year-old son, said protesting for federal Planned Parenthood cuts is an educational experience for his son.
“I’m teaching [my son] the difference between us and the people in the pink shirts,” Trewhella said.
Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, touted at the rally a bill she is reintroducing that would restore Planned Parenthood’s eligibility for the Wisconsin family planning program.
Taylor said success of her bill under a state legislature controlled by Republicans will depend on Wisconsin constituents reaching out to their lawmakers.
“I’m calling on individuals to contact Governor Walker, Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald,” Taylor said. “If my Republican colleagues listen and then actually represent the people of the state, I will be very successful in restoring this funding.”
A Capitol police officer told the The Daily Cardinal there were no issues to report from the rally, adding that it was “very peaceful.”
