Recently-obtained figures from the state of Wisconsin show that from 2007-2010, all of Wisconsin’s Catholic hospitals received taxpayer funds for distributing contraception under the so-called Family Planning Waiver program. Document, here, details the hospitals by name and by amount per year. It is entirely plausible the figures are actually higher, due to how the funding recipients are organized (as you can see, pharmacies are separated from physicians groups etc.)
The FPW program, per the state of Wisconsin website, covers:
- Contraceptive services and supplies (such as birth control pills, condoms, the morning-after pill, Ella, the IUD, etc.)
- Natural family planning supplies
- Family planning pharmacy visits
- Pap tests
- Tubal ligation
- Tests and treatment for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) including chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis as well as certain other lab tests
- Routine preventive primary services only if related to family planning
- Mammograms and hysterectomies are not covered
Sadly, Catholic hospitals dispensing contraception isn’t a surprise to some Wisconsin faithful.
In 2007, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference was neutral on a bill, now Wisconsin law, that forced ALL hospitals in the state to dispense emergency contraception to rape victims. During testimony about the bill, Kim Wades of the WCC said many Catholic hospitals are already dispensing the abortifacient drug, so the proposed law wouldn’t change much. Wisconsin Right to Life was neutral on the bill as well. Bishops Morlino and Listecki broke with the WCC to oppose the emergency contraception mandate.
Catholic hospitals are expected to abide by the Ethical and Religious Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ERD includes prohibitions against abortion, physician-assisted suicide, direct sterilization, the withholding of food and water from patients, and contraceptive procedures.
In the same time frame, 2007-2010, Planned Parenthood received $26 million from taxpayers for providing contraception, etc. More on that.
The entire cost of the program to taxpayers? A cool $81.5+ million. And that’s just in Wisconsin.
The FPW program was initiated and signed into law under Tommy Thompson, our Catholic former Governor (now running for Herb Kohl’s open seat in the U.S. Senate). The Family Planning Waiver was originally sought by Wisconsin under the Thompson administration as part of a plan to reduce teen pregnancy. The Wisconsin State Legislature passed the original bill supporting the Waiver with strong bipartisan support. Then Gov. Tommy Thompson signed the bill, and in 2002 he signed the Waiver approval as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Something else interesting in that list of places reimbursed for FPW funds – Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Where their patients are just children. Either they’re putting kids on birth control or giving them emergency contraception or? There really isn’t an alternative, since the program covers contraception only.
You can search the entire document here.
- From the Badger Catholic blog.