Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Bill to Inform Women of Baby’s Abortion Pain 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 7, 2006
Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) — Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle vetoed legislation on Friday that would inform women about the pain their baby would feel during an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Pro-life groups were disappointed by the veto because the information would be something women wouldn’t ordinarily receive from an abortion business.
Despite testimony from leading experts in the field, Doyle claimed no proof exists that unborn children feel pain. He said the state legislature should not be allowed to make scientific decisions.
"It would be reckless to inject a requirement that doctors communicate unproven science to their patients during an already difficult and sometimes traumatic time,” Doyle said in his veto message. "This bill intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship … and contravenes the requirement that doctors provide objective and accurate information to their patients.”
Bob Delaporte, a spokesman for Republican Assembly Speaker John Gard told the Associated Press Doyle was guilty of "ignoring the science on this one.”
Several experts in embryology testified in the state legislature that unborn children have the capacity to feel pain and several told lawmakers that’s the case. They include Steven Calvin, perinatologist at the University of Minnesota; Robert J. White, professor of neurosurgery at Case Western University; and Paul Ranalli, neurologist at the University of Toronto.
Under the measure, women would receive the fetal pain information and be allowed to have anesthesia administered to the baby before the abortion. Pro-life groups strongly supported the measure and hope it will persuade women to opt against an abortion.
Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, says the bill is needed because, "The vast majority of Wisconsin citizens would want a woman to know that if her unborn child is going to feel pain from the abortion procedure that she should be informed about it."
Doyle, a pro-abortion Democrat, has previously vetoed a measure that would have banned all forms of human cloning.
He’s also authorized the state attorney general to sue the Food and Drug Administration because it has delayed a final decision on whether to allow sales of the morning after pill over the counter. The drug can sometimes cause an abortion.
Doyle vetoed a measure that would have expanded conscience clause protections for medical personnel.
Lawmakers passed in the state Assembly approved the bill by a 61-34 margin after intense debate.
Arkansas, Georgia, and Mississippi have similar abortion-pain laws in place and Congress is considering federal legislation on the subject.
TAKE ACTION: Use the web site below to contact Governor Doyle and tell him he made a wrong decision to veto this bill to protect unborn children and provide women with information they need to make better pregnancy choices.
Related web sites:
Wisconsin Right to Life – https://www.wrtl.org
Governor Jim Doyle – https://www.wisgov.state.wi.us
