Wisconsin senators mulled a pair of proposed anti-abortion legislation that one politician said will surely cause "all out hell."
According to the Associated Press, Sen. Jon Erpenbach of Middleton made the statement following a Senate Health Committee in which legislators voted 3-2 on two GOP-backed abortion bills that the Assembly has already passed. One of the bills would outlaw abortions performed for what's called "sex selection" - choosing to terminate a pregnancy based on whether the child is a boy or a girl. Democrats maintain that this proposal is superfluous, since most women seeking abortions rarely do for that reason. The other bill blocks workers in the public sector from receiving contraceptive-covered insurance by their employers. Additionally, certain religious organizations would not be forced to provide plans that pay for birth control.
Erpenbach stated that businesses shouldn't be given the right to withhold contraceptives from women.
"Their morals are fine for them, but not for the rest of the state," Erpenbach told the Associated Press after the hearing. "Government intrusion like this is shocking."
President of anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action Julaine Appling said Erpenbach wasn't being honest - it's the insurance company's job to withhold or allow birth control.
"That's just a stall tactic," AP reported Appling as saying.
Erpenback suggested that the Senate schedule a hearing on the bill before it goes to a vote on Tuesday. He insisted that the debate on Tuesday would create, "All out hell. Seriously."
"You don't want this headline," he told committee chair Sen. Leah Vukmir. "You don't want this hassle that's about to happen."
Meanwhile, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a bill on Thursday banning abortions after 20 weeks of gestation that has already been passed in 13 states.
The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a measure accompanying one that the House passed in June, will restrict late-term abortions, excluding instances of rape, "incest against a minor" or if the mother's life is in jeopardy, according to the Washington Post.
13 states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, North Dakota and Texas, have passed bans against abortions at or before 20 weeks.
This article has been edited to reflect a change.
