Since January 1, 2003, Wisconsin’s citizens have been paying for the family planning and so-called “reproductive health care” services of Wisconsin women between the ages of 15 and 44 who have a family income below 185% of the federal poverty level. If Governor Doyle and the Senate Democrats have their way this program will be expanding under the new budget, giving even more of your money to programs that kill unborn children and promote promiscuity among our youth.

In 1999, Governor Tommy Thompson’s administration, Wisconsin applied for the Family Planning Demonstration Project, or the Family Planning Medicaid Waiver program, on June 25, 1999. Then when Thompson was Secretary of Health And Human Services at the federal level, he approved Wisconsin for the program, and it began in 2003. Depending on the family-planning services the women in the program use, the Federal government pays between 58% and 90% of the costs, while the state government picks up the rest of the tab, which means either way it is all coming out of our pocket as taxpayers.

Although the program requires a family income below 185% of the federal poverty level to qualify, a minor girl, one between 15 and 17, does not have to include her family’s income when applying. Under the rules of the program, minor girls are assured “confidentiality,” meaning their parents will not be informed about their use of the program’s so-called “family planning” or “reproductive health care” services. Currently the federal poverty level is at $10,210 a year for a single person home, which means that 15-17 year old girls can receive free birth control from the state, without their parents’ knowledge, if they make less than $18,888 a year. How many 15-17 year-old girls do you know who make that much money?

In 2006, the Wisconsin Family Planning Demonstration Project gave 6.5 million dollars to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin for services rendered. That is 6.5 million dollars of our taxpayer funds supporting an organization that is the state’s largest abortion provider and routinely promotes promiscuity of minors, and thereby endangers their futures and their very lives. From what we can tell, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is likely the largest provider of the services offered by the family planning Medicaid waver. Mind you, this money is in addition to the $2 million a year we taxpayers give Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin through general purpose revenue.

Not only does the Wisconsin Family Planning Demonstration Project use taxpayer money to pay for young girls’ and women’s “family planning” drugs and devices, it also takes a pro-active approach to informing women, and more specifically girls in high school and college, that this state-funded program is available to them. The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services has produced free information cards to distribute to girls 15 to 17 years old in various venues throughout the state. The cards state that “ Wisconsin has a free and private program for teens who want to prevent unwanted pregnancies.” The card goes on to list the services provided in the program, how to apply, how to get questions answered, and how to find a provider. While we can’t prove it, we suspect that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has been one of the best purveyors of this “come-hither” advertising.

If this insidious program weren’t already bad enough, Governor Doyle and the State Senate want to expand it and are using the new budget to do just that. Buried in section 1549 of this budget is the Governor’s proposal to increase the maximum income to 200% of the federal poverty level and to begin including young boys and men 15 to 44 years old in the program. That essentially means you and I would fund family planning and reproductive health care for any Wisconsin citizen who doesn’t make over $20,000 a year.

And so, Governor Doyle continues to look for creative ways to fund his friends at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, while at the same time turning down a $600,000 federal grant for abstinence-only-until-marriage education. His priorities are pretty clear.

Despite proposals in the last two legislative sessions to exclude the 15 to 17 year olds from the family planning Medicaid waiver program, the state legislature has continued to insist on telling teens it is okay to have sex outside of marriage, in spite of a recent National Cultural and Values Survey that showed that 67% of people surveyed said that they believe teens having sex outside of marriage is always wrong. Promoting this taxpayer-funded family planning Medicaid Waiver program and giving even more money to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin for its dastardly work is wrong and downright dangerous. It’s time for Wisconsin citizens to demand a change in how their money is being spent.

For Wisconsin Family Council, I’m Julaine Appling reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”