If you think the Republican war on women, specifically the campaign against Planned Parenthood diminished after last year’s electoral defeat, think (yet) again.
Planned Parenthood said Monday it will close four of its 27 locations in Wisconsin (in Beaver Dam, Johnson Creek, Chippewa Falls and Shawano) between April and July due to a lack of state funding.
Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican cronies in the legislature eliminated public funding for low-income and uninsured patients seeking reproductive health care at Planned Parenthood, the largest provider in the state, because some of its clinics offer abortions.
That means about 2,000 low-income residents who need cancer screening, breast exams, birth control, pregnancy test, or testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases may have to travel up to an hour to go to a location in another county.
“It’s terribly unfortunate for the women who live in these areas,” said Teri Huyck, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin. “Without the state support, we didn’t have a choice.”
Steve Frank