Senate Committee Approves Fetal Tissue Bill

A Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday banning the sale of aborted fetal tissue and limiting its use for research.

Just like with the public hearings on the measure, there was sharp disagreement before the bill was approved by the committee along party lines. Sen. Jon Erpenbach argued federal law already bans the sale of fetal tissue, and said that restricting its use would harm medical research.

“You are wiping out research altogether. That’s going too far,” he said.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Leah Vukmir disagreed with Erpenbach on that point, asserting that “research will continue.”

The bill allows medical research on tissue from abortions which occurred before January 2015. Both university and private-sector researchers oppose the bill, as does the state’s largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Members of the Health and Human Services Committee also approved bills that could reduce federal funding for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. One would require the state Department of Health Services to apply for a grant now overseen by Planned Parenthood, while the other would reduce Medicaid reimbursement rates family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood would receive for certain medications.

Correction: The original version of this article said that one of the bills approved by the committee would raise the costs of birth control drugs Planned Parenthood receives through Medicaid. The bill would actually reduce Medicaid reimbursement rates for Planned Parenthood clinics for certain medications.