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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Survey finds majority of Wisconsinites support Planned Parenthood and abortion access
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin President and CEO Tanya Atkinson stood alongside Wisconsin Democrats to introduce the bill in May, saying it was the 'next step in protecting and securing full reproductive freedom for people in Wisconsin.' (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) A majority of Wisconsinites support allowing access to abortion according to recent polling commissioned by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and A Better Wisconsin Together. The online poll conducted by the D.C.-based Hart Research Associates between March 21 and March 28 got feedback from 605 registered voters in Wisconsin as a way of understanding perspectives on abortion in the state. Planned Parenthood is facing the possibility of being cut off from Medicaid funds under Donald Trump and House Republicans' budget reconciliation package and Wisconsin Republicans recently reaffirmed their commitment to enforcing a strict statewide abortion ban. The poll found that 45% of voters are 'base supporters' of abortion, meaning they personally support the right to abortion and believe it should be legal, while 34% were 'soft supporters' meaning they are personally against abortion but oppose government restrictions. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin President and CEO Tanya Atkinson said in a statement that the poll confirms the 'overwhelming' support across the state for abortion care access and for Planned Parenthood. 'That Wisconsin Republicans in Congress, in the State Legislature and in their own political party platform continue to endorse policies and enact cuts to essential care despite broad support from their constituents is devastating,' Atkinson said. 'These cuts mean Wisconsinites will lose access to birth control, wellness visits, STI tests and cancer screenings. This isn't just about abortion — it's about whether people can count on the care they need, when they need it.' About 69% of survey participants reported a 'favorable' view of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Lucy Ripp, communications director for A Better Wisconsin Together, said in a statement that the poll shows that Planned Parenthood is 'a healthcare provider that Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support and rely on for quality healthcare access.' The poll found that 74% of voters think abortion is at risk nationally and 71% said it is at risk on a statewide level. Wisconsin Republicans approved a resolution at their state convention in May that calls for the enforcement of a criminal 1849 law, which effectively banned abortion in the state following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. A Dane County judge ruled that the law doesn't apply to abortion, though the decision was appealed and is currently before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Democrats, meanwhile, have introduced a proposal that would repeal the 1849 law as well as an array of other laws on the books in Wisconsin that restrict abortion access, including a state-mandated requirement that patients have two appointments before an abortion, a requirement that doctors must provide a state-mandated booklet that contains medically inaccurate information, an ultrasound requirement and a law that stops physician assistants, nurse practitioners and APRNs from performing abortions. The bill would also repeal state laws that prohibit coverage of abortion care under insurance plans for public employees, plans on the Affordable Care Act's marketplace for Wisconsin and under BadgerCare. Federal law also bans the use of federal money for abortion with exceptions in the case that a pregnancy endangers the life of a pregnant person or is the result of rape or incest. The poll also found that 78% of voters support protecting health care professionals from criminal charges related to providing abortion care, that 72% of voters favor allowing advanced health care providers like nurse practitioners and midwives to provide abortion care, 70% favor funding for health care clinics that provide abortion care and 68% favor Medicaid and Badgercare coverage for abortion care. Atkinson stood alongside Wisconsin Democrats to introduce the bill in May, saying it was the 'next step in protecting and securing full reproductive freedom for people in Wisconsin.' The bill has not progressed in the Republican-led Legislature, though the authors of the bill Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) and Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) have said they plan to continue to advocate for better abortion access in the state, even if it has to wait until next session. 'This legislation is about making a future here in Wisconsin, where everyone has access to the health care in need, where every single person has the ability to thrive. This is legislation that Wisconsinites broadly support, that Americans broadly support,' Roys said. '[The] only people who don't broadly support it are the Republican politicians who have gerrymandered themselves away from any voter accountability that is coming to an end. We will be getting a hearing on this bill if it's not this session, it will be next session back — mark my words.' Democrats in Wisconsin and nationally have used abortion as a motivator in elections since 2022, including in key state Supreme Court elections and in competitive state legislative races. State Democrats are aiming to win a trifecta in 2026 and need to flip the Assembly and Senate to do so — a goal that could be within their reach under the legislative maps put in place last year. The last time Democrats held majorities in the state Legislature was during the 2009-2010 legislative session The survey also asked participants about their electoral preferences, finding that 62% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who supports guaranteeing legal abortion while 57% said they would vote against a candidate who wants to make abortion illegal. The poll also found that 70% of voters would support a referendum that guarantees the legal right to an abortion in Wisconsin if it appeared on ballots. It also found that 81% of voters support passing legislation to conduct a statewide referendum on abortion. Wisconsin does not have a voter-led ballot initiative process. There is a process to allow voters to decide whether to ratify a law through a referendum, but under that, it would need to be passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Tony Evers. Democrats and Republicans have at times expressed support for placing a question about abortion on the ballot — both advisory and binding — though neither has agreed on the details. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Assembly passes bipartisan health care bills including letting pharmacists prescribe birth control
The bill passed 87-10 with only Republican lawmakers voting against. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The Wisconsin State Assembly, in a departure from prior floor debates this session, passed several widely bipartisan bills related to health care, including one to exempt direct primary care services from insurance laws and another to allow pharmacist to prescribe birth control. AB 43 would allow pharmacists to prescribe certain birth control, including the pill and contraceptive patches, to patients 18 and older as a way of making it easier to access. Currently, Wisconsin patients have to make an appointment with a doctor or advanced practice nurse and answer a mandatory list of questions regarding their health before a doctor could prescribe birth control. Once a physician determines it safe, patients can take a prescription to a pharmacy to be filled. Under the bill, pharmacists would have to give patients a self-assessment questionnaire and do blood pressure screening. If there are any 'red flags,' then a pharmacist would need to refer patients to see a physician. Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) said during a press conference ahead of the session that the process included in the bill is 'much more rigorous' than when women get birth control online. He said it would also help women with family planning, noting that about half of pregnancies in Wisconsin are unplanned each year. 'These women are unlikely to finish school, and it will severely affect their potential earnings throughout their lives…' Kitchens said. 'Birth control is 99.9% effective when it's used according to directions and regularly. The lack of access is the biggest reason that it sometimes fails. Women will leave home for a couple of days and forget about it, or they can't make an appointment with their doctor, and this bill is going to help with all of that.' This is the fourth time the Assembly has passed a similar bill. Last session, it passed a Senate committee but it never came for a floor vote. Kitchens said he thinks there is a 'good chance the Senate will pass it this time.' Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) said in a statement that the policy 'will increase access to contraceptives, particularly for women who live in rural areas, where many Wisconsinites live closer to their pharmacy than they do to their doctor's office,' and urged her Senate colleagues to take up the bill. 'This is a good bill that will make for greater access to contraception. I have voted for this proposal four sessions in a row. I urge the Senate to follow our lead,' Rodriguez said. The bill passed 87-10 with only Republican lawmakers voting against. SB 4 would exempt direct primary care, which is a health care model where patients pay a monthly or annual fee to a physician or practice for access to primary care services, from insurance laws. Advocates have said that clarifying that insurance law doesn't apply to direct primary care doctors would encourage more providers to opt in to this model. Bill author Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield) said at a press conference that direct primary care 'is not insurance.' 'It's a private contract you have with the doctor, then you have insurance for something catastrophic — if you need to have surgery or you have a heart attack, you have insurance to cover that — but this is just for your everyday needs, and it's more one-on-one, and you have more personal experiences with the doctors,' Duchow said. Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) expressed concerns about the bill, noting that it is missing nondiscrimination language and that she would be voting against it. '[This] is getting us nowhere helpful,' Vining said. The nondiscrimination language, Vining referenced, was in relation to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 'gender identity.' Conservative organizations had lobbied against the bill last session due to the inclusion of that language and it never received a vote in the Senate. Vining expressed concerns that Evers might veto the bill without the nondiscrimination language. Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) said she had similar concerns but would be voting for it. 'I think it is a good bill, and it does something that is important, but I do it knowing that I wish the bill could be stronger,' Subeck said. The Assembly concurred in SB 4 in a voice vote. The Senate passed the bill in March, and it will now head to Evers' desk. Lawmakers also concurred in SB 14, a bill to require written informed consent from a patient when a hospital performs a pelvic examination for educational purposes on a patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious. The bill was advocated for by Sarah Wright, a teacher who was subjected to a nonconsensual pelvic exam while she was undergoing abdominal surgery in Madison in 2009. Subeck said it is a 'horrifying' story that Wright has shared every legislative session. '[Wright] was unconscious. There was no medical need for a pelvic exam and medical students were brought in to do public exams in order to learn the procedure because it's easy as to learn on an unconscious individual,' Subeck said. 'This is tantamount to sexual assault. This is not giving consent. This is assuming consent from somebody who is unconscious.' Subeck noted in a statement that lawmakers have been working on the legislation for over a decade. 'It has taken far too long, but we are finally honoring her bravery by putting an end to this disturbing and unethical practice,' Subeck said in a statement. 'Patients entrust medical professionals with their care at their most vulnerable moments. That trust must never be violated. Performing a medically unnecessary and invasive exam without consent is not only a breach of ethics — it is a violation that can feel indistinguishable from sexual assault.' Rep. Joy Goeben (R-Hobart) noted that one study found that over 80% of medical students at major training hospitals reported performing pelvic exams on anaesthetized patients, but only 17% said that the patients were informed, while nearly half reported that the patients were rarely or never explicitly told so. 'I am really thankful for the bipartisan support,' Goeben said. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said in a statement ahead of the session that the bills were a sign that lawmakers could work across partisan lines, but said they could do more. 'It is possible to come together to pass good, bipartisan bills that will move our state forward — but we know that there is so much work left to be done,' Neubauer said. 'Just last week, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee cut proposals by [Evers] that would have lowered costs for working families and cut taxes for the majority of Wisconsinites. Removing these critical proposals from consideration and preventing future discussion is ridiculous, and on top of this, the GOP has refused to have public hearings, let alone votes, on popular and bipartisan legislation that would move our state forward.' Ahead of the floor session, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told reporters that work on the budget is on hold until legislative leaders meet in person with Evers. Republican lawmakers are seeking a tax cut in the budget. 'Our preferred option [is] to be able to get an agreed upon tax cut so that we know we have X dollars to invest in schools and health care and all the other things that are important,' Vos said. 'It's pretty hard for us to move forward… I think we're kind of on pause until we hear back from Gov. Evers.' 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Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senators consider mandating access to military recruiters, restricting school funding requests
A yard sign urging voters to vote 'Yes' on a referendum request for Madison School District in 2024 when a record number of schools went to referendum. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner. Republican lawmakers are seeking to give military recruiters and youth organizations a boost from the state when it comes to reaching students in public schools, saying that some school districts aren't giving the organizations equal access. Lawmakers on the Senate Education Committee considered those along with bills that would add further requirements to school referendum requests. 'I think we have a theme here when it comes to anything that seems patriotic in a way, we're having a little bit of struggles getting into particular schools,' Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) said during a Tuesday Senate Education Committee meeting. She said during the hearing that she feels 'discouraged' about the way military recruiters and scouts are viewed by 'certain' communities in Wisconsin. One bill — SB 10 — would specifically require schools to allow military recruiters access to common areas in high schools and to allow access during the school day and during school-sanctioned events. It wouldn't require districts to give recruiters access to classrooms during instructional time. Federal law has mandated since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act during the Bush administration that public schools give military access to students at school and to students' contact information. Families can opt their children out of the release of information. However, Cabral-Guevara said she has heard complaints that recruiters have had difficulty. Cabral-Guevara said she has heard of recruiters being placed in rooms separate from employment recruiters and has also heard of a limit being placed on the number of times a recruiter can visit a school as well as visits to drop off documents being counted as a recruiting visit. She said recruiters said they have the most difficulty with access to Madison and Milwaukee schools. 'There should be no reason why a military recruiter should have restricted access or be placed at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to speaking with students,' Cabral-Guevara said. The bill comes as the U.S. military, including the Wisconsin Army National Guard, in recent years has struggled to reach recruitment goals. 'They have not said they have been denied access to enter the building, what they have been saying is that… they have been prohibited from doing meaningful recruitment,' Cabral-Guevara said. Bill co-author Rep. William Penterman (R-Hustisford) compared military recruiters to students trying to sell chocolate bars to their peers. 'After school and during lunch, they have a table in the commons where they sell those candy bars. It's in a public space, it's in a common area. Now, I can only imagine if they were restricted to, perhaps inside the counselor's office, or in a back room somewhere, how that would negatively impact their sales of chocolate bars,' Penterman said. Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said that school officials in his district had some concerns about whether the bill would lead to excessive access to schools, especially as they already provide access. He said the bill 'seems like it's opening it up to infinite' access. He noted that there are a lot of different groups that seek access to schools. 'They try and button it and say, OK, we have career fairs and they have to make that balance to try and figure that out,' Larson said. 'I think [limitations] would have to be written in, and not just assumed, because if there's a military recruiter who's just like, OK every Tuesday, we're gonna pop in and we're just going to run the rotation.' There's nothing that would stop them if this legislation were passed.' Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) said the bill seems 'problematic' because of a lack of boundaries. 'It says, 'during school sanctioned events' — that could be a ball game, that could be during mock trial, that could be during prom… there's just no boundaries around it with this bill,' Keyeski said. Cabral-Guevara said that she is not seeking 'to change federal code on how many times they can access a building' or give military recruiters more access than others. Rather, she said she wants to ensure that when recruiters are in a school building for what is counted as a recruiting visit, it is a meaningful interaction. 'That's not what it says in the bill though,' Keyeski responded. The committee also considered SB 11 that would similarly require that if a 'federally chartered youth' organization — particularly the Girl Scouts or Eagle Scouts — requests access to a public school that a principal allow them to provide oral or written information to students to help encourage participation in the organizations. The bill is co-authored by Cabral-Guevara and Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc). 'In essence, what we're finding is that there again are certain groups that when they look for access for recruitment purposes, they are maybe put in a different room. They are not allowed the same access that other organizations get,' Cabral-Guevara said. 'As a mother of four children who all worked at scout camps, as somebody that's active amongst the world of scouting, it is amazing what these organizations help produce in these children. You're looking at amazing leadership skills. You're looking at outstanding community volunteers.' A similar bill passed the Legislature last session, but was vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers. He wrote in his veto message that he objects to 'undermining local decision-making regarding whether organizations may visit school buildings to recruit students for memberships' and said the bill might conflict with federal law. Keyeski said she heard from a local school leader that the bill appears focused on the wrong priorities. 'One of the superintendents in my district said the bill does not address any of the things I'm worried about, and then he said that about every single one of these bills,' Keyeski said, adding that she asked what he meant. 'He said, 'We need funding, we need better school opportunities for technological advances.' This was just not a concern.' Proposed referendum requirements Lawmakers on the committee also considered two bills that would impose new restrictions on school referendum requests, which districts have increasingly relied on to help meet costs. One bill — SB 58 — would require ballots to include a 'good faith estimate' of the property tax impact for a referendum. Ballot questions are currently required to include the dollar amount of the increase in the levy limit. 'It is not the intent of this bill to sway people one way or another on any particular referendum. The point is simply to ensure that voters are given the information that they need so that their decision is informed,' bill coauthor Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) said. The other bill — SB 81 — would eliminate referendum questions that allow recurring — or permanent — operational funding increases and would limit 'nonrecurring' referendum requests to cover no more than a four-year period. 'There's really no mechanism to say we need to make sure that whoever, sometime down the road, is actually having to pay the bill and also who's responsible for spending the money — if they're completely different people, there should be a mechanism where both sides have to come back to the table and say, 'Let's relook at everything,' Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) said. Keyeski said that she thought the mechanism for ensuring that referendum requests are considered responsibly is the elected officials and voters who decide whether to approve them. 'It's just taking away local control and it's taking away democracy in action,' Keyeski said. School district leaders and representatives of school associations expressed an array of concerns about the bills, saying the ballot requirements could create confusion for voters and that further restrictions on referendum requests could increase the financial challenges school districts face. Dee Pattack, executive director of the Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance, told lawmakers that school districts do not want to go to referendum and said that some of the requirements in the bill would be difficult to meet. The 'good faith estimate piece, that would be really challenging,' Pattack said, noting that there is market volatility that could affect total debt referenda costs. She also said that trying to include all of that information on a ballot could be confusing. School districts seeking a referendum will often have a webpage dedicated to information about the request, will host meetings with local residents and stakeholders, speak with news outlets to spread the word and take other actions to ensure the public knows the purpose of a referendum and the costs. 'It's a long process, and we just think that, you know, we try to be as transparent as possible right now and trying to condense that into a small area on a ballot might not really be the best way to enhance that transparency,' Pattack said. Cathy Olig, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance, told lawmakers that school staff and local taxpayers are suffering from referendum fatigue. There were 94 referendum requests during February and April 2025, with about a third of those representing 'retry' efforts, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Voters approved 53 of those for a passage rate of 56.4%, making 2025 one of the lowest referendum passage rates in a non-presidential or midterm election year since 2011. 'We're concerned [SB 81] will create a constant cycle of referenda for school districts. We would welcome alternatives to referenda, which could be addressed through the budget, but to add further requirements and costs takes the focus away from finding solutions to the larger problems plaguing the school finance formula,' Olig said. Kenosha Unified School District Superintendent Jeffrey Weiss told lawmakers that his district has closed several schools in recent years, including five elementary schools and a middle school. He said the change involved a lot of redistricting of students. He said the district has also cut 200 positions and more than $1 million of staff out of the district office. 'We are very responsible stewards of public funds… We wanted to do all we could to avoid having to go for an operational referendum,' Weiss said, adding that superintendents don't want to go to referendum. The district's $115 million request failed in February. Weiss said he thought transparency was already part of the referendum process because the community holds school districts accountable. 'I think these bills around referendum questions are really treating a symptom,' Weiss said, noting that a Blue Ribbon Commission proposed actions in 2019 that could address the problems with the state's school funding system. 'That is the cure and the conversations that we're having right now, we're talking about the symptoms. I don't want to lose my ability to go to the community. This really is our only lever. There are not another seven schools in the city of Kenosha that I can close.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsinites seek model from Tennesseans on bipartisan conversations about guns
More than 100 people attended the event at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, which included a screening of the documentary about the Tennesseeans' journey and a panel discussion with two of the participants and a handful of Wisconsinites. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner. Madison School Board member Ali Muldrow said people who work in education know that the 'worst day' is when children get hurt in school. 'When the Abundant Life shooting happened, which was at a private Christian School very close to my home, it was just a really horrible day, and I think I realized it's too late to talk about this,' Muldrow said. 'It's been too late and we can't keep letting it be too late.' A teacher and student were killed and six others were injured by a 15-year-old who brought a gun to Abundant Life Christian School, a private school in Madison, in December 2024. It is the deadliest school shooting on record in Wisconsin. The shooting made national headlines, but it is just one example of children harmed by gun violence. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 332 school shootings in 2024. A 2024 report by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions found firearms continue to be a leading cause of death for children and teens, and those who are Black are disproportionately the victims Muldrow, who is running unopposed for another term on the Board this spring, said measures taken to try to prevent shooting deaths at school have not been enough. 'All of the things that we've done to our students haven't resolved this issue — whether it's practicing and having drills or whether it's making our schools harder places to get into,' Muldrow said. 'None of that changes the reality that a 15-year-old went into their school, two guns, and killed multiple people, including themselves.' Students from Madison Metropolitan School District walked out of class in December and marched to the state Capitol to demand something be done about gun violence. 'They asked for two things,' Muldrow said. 'They asked for laws related to gun storage and gun safety, and they asked for more mental health support within their education.' Muldrow said that adults should 'honor' the demands of the students and build bridges across political divides to get the work done. She said having conversations is an important starting point. In the aftermath of the Madison school shooting, Muldrow said she wanted to organize an event to inspire people in the community to feel capable of making change. She turned to a group that tried to find solutions after a school shooting took place about two years ago and more than 620 miles away. Tennesseans were left reeling in 2023 after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at the private Christian Covenant elementary school. A nonprofit organization called Builders (formerly known as Starts With Us) that seeks to ease political polarization brought together a group of 11 Tennessee residents with a range of opinions on the issue of guns to discuss and come up with some solutions. Muldrow was part of a similar group in Wisconsin in 2024 that explored the debate on abortion. She saw a documentary about the Tennessee group and thought its approach could be a way for the community affected by the Abundant Life shooting to come together and find a way forward. Muldrow said that the point of the event she helped organize Sunday was not necessarily to 'mirror or mimic what happened in Tennessee, but to learn from that collaborative attitude towards solutions.' More than 100 people attended the event at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, which included a screening of the documentary about the Tennesseeans' journey and a panel discussion with two of the participants and a handful of Wisconsinites. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll noted during the panel that potential solutions to gun violence would look different for Wisconsin, given the difference in state laws and the general beliefs of residents in each state. A key point of disagreement among participants in the documentary centered on concealed carry permits and whether they should be mandated. Tennessee has allowed for permitless carry of handguns since 2021. Wisconsin already requires a permit for concealed carry, however, and it's mostly not a partisan debate, Franklin said. According to the most recent polling, about 65% of Wisconsinites support concealed carry, but only under certain circumstances. 'We do have a concealed carry law that requires a permit. When the Legislature has considered concealed carry without a permit, we found only about 20% support for that, about 80% opposition,' Franklin said. 'There is a distinction that the public makes… public opinion is quite opposed to that form of concealed carry, but solidly in favor of [concealed carry] with a permit.' Franklin said he thought proposals that originate from and garner support among Second Amendment supporters should be celebrated. He noted that there is a Republican bill that's been introduced in Wisconsin that would create a tax exemption for gun safes. 'That's a small, incremental matter of, what, 5 ½% on the cost of the safe, but on the other hand, when you think of children's access to guns in the home, access to those guns by burglars or other circumstances,' it could be a significant step, Franklin said. Franklin said the idea that 'if you don't get everything you've got nothing' is a huge barrier to progress. 'I would just stress that incremental improvements are still improvements,' Franklin said. Steve D'Orazio, founder and president of the Oregon, Wis., gun shop and range Max Creek Outdoors said during the panel that his business works hard to educate people who acquire guns. He said he has been working with a doctor at the UW Health System to educate doctors on guns and have them talk with their patients about gun safety and awareness, including keeping guns locked away. 'My goal is the safety of our children,' D'Orazio said. The solution to school shootings he emphasized the most was implementing metal detectors in all schools. 'Every one of us here today walked through the front door of this building and we walked through a metal detector, but our schools don't have metal detectors,' D'Orazio said. 'I sell guns. That's our business. There's so much education that we do at our shop to make sure that the gun owner doesn't get hurt and that they use it correctly…, but every school district should have a metal detector. That's how you're going to stop this stuff.' The documentary shows the Tennessee group taking and presenting their recommendations at the Tennessee State Capitol. Those recommendations included temporary removal of firearms based on risk of violence, developing tools to support responsible gun ownership, expanding the role of school resource officers, investing in community to reduce trauma and developing gun literacy resources for schools, communities and media. Tennessee leaders did pass a bill in 2024 requiring education in schools about guns, a policy similar to the recommendation of the group. Though the end result was not exactly as participants imagined it. Adam Luke, a Tennessee marriage and family counselor and conservative, spoke to how the 'rush to be right' by lawmakers on the issue may diminish the effectiveness of the legislation. 'People will not be able to opt out [of the curriculum]. Now, I would like to turn to conservative America and say, 'If you did not have the ability to opt your child out of sex education would that bother you?'' Luke asked. 'This is what happens when you have super majorities.' Luke said that the Tennessee Department of Education also doesn't have the curriculum for teachers and just recently closed the public response period. He said lawmakers were so quick to want to get something done that they've created a policy that may not be effective. 'Let's say that we did something, but guess what? We forgot to actually give you the resources to be successful with it,' Luke said. Political polarization was on display following the Madison school shooting. Muldrow said she has been 'saddened' by the divide. 'It's really hard to see our Legislature be so divided and in such a contentious relationship with our governor, and it's a shame because all of these people represent us and there is an expectation that they work together,' Muldrow said. Since the shooting, Gov. Tony Evers has launched the Office of Violence Prevention and has proposed adopting further gun safety policies including stricter background checks and red flag laws. Republican lawmakers were quick to criticize Evers' proposals and have been developing their own proposals for addressing school shootings, including financial support for the Office of School Safety and allowing teachers to be armed. The Madison Common Council and the Dane County Board of Supervisors both passed resolutions urging the Legislature to take action and implement common-sense gun measures. Steven Olikara, a former candidate for Wisconsin Senate and founder of the nonpartisan organization the Future Caucus, said the actions of local leaders and Evers are a step forward, but the state needs to take bigger steps. 'Those bigger steps will come from bringing Democrats and Republicans together in a real way and building trust,' Olikara said. 'And I think conversations like this can help create that kind of momentum. [When people are at] each other's throats, the kind of progress you make is very small and very incremental. When you have conversations like the one today, you can reach transformative change, and that's really what we need.' Tennessee educator Alyssa Pearman, who lost one of her students to gun violence, said the key is to keep showing up to have the conversations. 'You are going to be told no, and you are going to have people who have no interest in making a change and being a builder, but you keep showing up,' Pearman said. 'You find people who want to do something, who want a better tomorrow, and you have conversations like these… This is the type of conversation that needs to be had, whether it's in Wisconsin, whether it's in Tennessee and whatever state where we have this crisis.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsinites celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility with proposed legislation, flag raising
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway alongside other Wisconsinites at a city celebration for Transgender Day of Visibility. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner. Wisconsin Democrats and city of Madison leaders recognized transgender visibility day in Wisconsin Monday, introducing legislation that would provide protections for people and raising the transgender pride flag. This year's International Transgender Day of Visibility comes amid a political environment in which trans people have been targeted by new proposed federal and state restrictions. Wisconsin Republican lawmakers spent significant time in March on a slate of bills focused on transgender kids and would have limited their ability to play sports, access gender affirming medical care and change their names and pronouns in school. The bills are among more than 800 anti-trans bills that have been introduced nationwide this year. Participants in the Madison celebrations said the point of the day was not to focus on the negative and harmful actions being taken, however, but to focus instead on the positive experiences of being transgender. Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove), co-chair of the Transgender Parent and Nonbinary Advocacy Caucus, said during a press conference that the purpose of the day is to 'elevate the voices of our trans and non-binary communities, emphasize the joy of living life as your authentic self and to visualize the world in which all our trans and non-binary children, co-workers, neighbors, parents and elected officials throughout Wisconsin and the world are loved, accepted and safe.' Democrats holding the press conference proposed a handful of bills. One would extend Wisconsin's nondiscrimination laws to include transgender and nonbinary people by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity or gender expression. Another bill would create an exception to current law for those seeking a name change for gender identity reasons. Under the current state statute people seeking a name change petition must publish notice of their petition in a local newspaper, including in the area where the petition will be heard, once per week for three consecutive weeks before they may petition the court. A third bill would declare March 31, 2025 as Transgender Day of Visibility in Wisconsin and recognizes the achievements of several transgender people and organizations who have made contributions to Wisconsin. In addition to the bills, Gov. Tony Evers, who has committed to vetoing any anti-trans legislation that makes it to his desk, signed a proclamation declaring Monday Transgender Day of Visibility. Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire) said the bills are important because lawmakers need to send a positive message to young Wisconsinites who may be paying attention. He said that when he was young he remembers feeling discouraged as a gay teen when the state passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. 'Thirteen-year-olds across Wisconsin are listening to political actions and messages that are being sent out of the Capitol,' Phelps said, adding that children should know there are elected officials and allies and leaders who are fighting for transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive people of all ages across Wisconsin. 'That's the message that we want people to take out of the Capitol and into their communities and to see [protections] passed in the state law as well,' Phelps said. When asked about plans to discuss the legislation with Republicans and the potential for garnering support across the aisle to pass any of the bills, the lawmakers sounded doubtful. Republicans hold majorities in the Assembly and Senate and support from them would be necessary for any of the Democratic legislation to be taken up. 'I don't think they will sign on to this legislation. I certainly wish that they would take a look at it and hear our voices here today and see the love and support of so many community members,' Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) said. Clancy called it a 'valid question' that Democrats get every time they hold a press conference. 'Will Republicans sign on to this? And every time the answer is somewhat the same…,' Clancy said. 'Republicans, two weeks ago, sat on the floor of the Assembly just feet from here for hours. They said that trans people should not exist, should not have basic rights. They have had the opportunity to weigh in on this, and I would welcome any of them moving across the aisle, breaking ranks from their, frankly, hateful leadership and joining in on these things.' The city of Madison also recognized Transgender Visibility Day by raising the transgender pride flag outside of the city municipal building. Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway said the city was raising the flag to celebrate trans people, because the city respects individual rights and 'rejects hate.' 'The safety and the livelihoods of trans people are being threatened, and the issue of the fact of trans people is being used to divide our country in a hateful and really disappointing way, but here in Madison, we refuse to go backwards, and we refuse to let hate divide.' Asked about communicating the message of acceptance to those who disagree, Rhodes-Conway said that she thinks it's important people recognize that diversity makes the Madison community stronger and invited people to 'learn about the things that maybe make them nervous or scared and to be a part of the incredible diversity.' Rhodes-Conway also urged people to educate themselves. 'Folks can educate themselves and each other and a lot of the fear and resistance comes from lack of knowing, and so I just encourage people — there's a lot of resources,' Rhodes-Conway said. 'Please don't ask the trans people in your lives to educate you. There's a lot of resources out there and our libraries, our fantastic resources, and people can educate themselves about the history.' Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, the first out transgender member of the Madison Common Council, said that transgender people are all 'part of an unbroken legacy of resilience' and 'authenticity.' Martinez-Rutherford said that she never expected to feel 'so much love and community' when first elected in 2023 and never expected when she first started transitioning in 2007 to be in a position to advocate for people. 'We raise the transgender flag today for it to be a symbol that Madison is welcoming and that you belong here,' Martinez-Rutherford said. 'Let it be a beacon of hope, a reminder that we will not be erased.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
