Antiabortion Group Rallies To Protest University Of Wisconsin Plan To Provide Second-Trimester Abortions

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 13 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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The Madison, Wis.-based group Vigil for Life on Thursday organized a rally in front of the Madison Surgery Center to protest a plan by the University of Wisconsin to provide second-trimester abortions at the center, Channel3000.com reports. The protesters aimed to convince university officials to abandon the plans, which were "kept secret" until last week, Steve Karlen, co-director of the organization, said. He added that he was "shock[ed]" to learn of the university's intentions to provide the procedure. "It's hard to fathom, right in the heart of Madison, right in the heart of campus, to turn this into something like that and the questions of why was it kept secret," he said, adding, "Why did they not come out to the public with the plans?" (Channel3000.com, 1/8). The antiabortion-rights group Alliance Defense Fund last week also protested the plan and sent a letter to university officials saying that performing abortion procedures at the surgery center might violate a state law that prohibits federal or state funds from being used to pay physicians or clinics that perform abortions.

Lisa Brunette, the university's health spokesperson, last week said that state physicians employed by the university would perform the procedures and that the procedures would be paid for by patients or insurance companies, not by public funding. Brunette also said that employees would be able to opt out of a procedure and that medical students only would be trained on the procedures if they elect to do so. Wisconsin state law prohibits employers from penalizing health care workers who refuse to "recommend, aid or perform" abortions because of moral objections (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/7). Brunette also said university gynecologists plan to provide abortions for patients between 13 weeks' and 22 weeks' gestation after final approval from the surgery center's board, which could occur this month (Channel3000.com, 1/8).

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