It is no secret that anti-choice groups have long used radical tactics to oppose abortion. This year, we saw young children outfitted in “I survived the American Holocaust” tee shirts in legislative hearings in the Wisconsin capitol. Last July, we watched in horror as a group of “pro-lifers” staged, in front of a Milwaukee abortion clinic, a celebratory reenactment of the murder of a Florida abortion provider and his escort by Paul Hill. In short, their campaigns and demonstrations have grown increasingly extreme and more inappropriate as of late.
Continuing in this vein, Pro Life Wisconsin held prayer vigils across the state on June 7, the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Griswold v. Connecticut. For non-history buffs, this 1965 Supreme Court decision struck down a Connecticut law outlawing contraception for married couples. Since the legalization of contraception, birth control has become commonplace in our society. In fact, 98% of American women use contraception at some point during their lifetime. Despite birth control’s popularity and safety, Pro Life Wisconsin joined other anti-choice groups on June 7 to protest outside family planning clinics that prescribe and dispense contraception to low income women. The name of their oh-so-subtle campaign? “The Pill Kills ’08: The Pill Kills Babies”.
Yes, you read that correctly. No longer satisfied with attacking a woman’s right to choose abortion, Pro Life Wisconsin is now attacking the millions of women who use contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Contraception is basic health care for women. More than 40 million American women of reproductive age are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant, but could if they do not have access to reliable contraception. Contrary to PLW’s lies that birth control pills cause abortion, birth control pills act to prevent pregnancy, reducing the need for abortion. According to the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, birth control pills only work before a pregnancy occurs and have no effect on an established pregnancy. Birth control is a safe legal way to prevent pregnancy and a fundamental component of women’s health care.
Pro Life Wisconsin’s participation in “Protest the Pill Day” exposes their anti-birth control, anti-women’s health care, anti-privacy agenda.
