Abortion

2013: Ballweg Voted For An Anti-Abortion Bill That Required Abortion Providers To Perform Pre-Abortion Ultrasounds And Obtain Admitting Privileges At Area Hospitals. According to the Associated Press, “Assembly Republicans approved a package of bills Thursday designed to make it more difficult to get abortions in Wisconsin, joining a renewed conservative drive to impose tougher restrictions on the procedure nationwide. One bill would require pre-abortion ultrasounds and require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at an area hospital. […] ‘We truly believe what we're doing is protecting life,’ she said. ‘It isn't about politics.’ Republicans hold an overwhelming majority in the Assembly and easily passed each bill. The state Senate approved the ultrasound-admitting privileges bill on Wednesday; the Assembly vote sent the measure to Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who has said he will sign it into law.” [Associated Press, 6/14/13]

Guttmacher Institute: Pre-Abortion Ultrasounds Were Medically Unnecessary And Costly, And Were Often Done In An Attempt To Dissuade A Person From Obtaining An Abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “Since the mid-1990s, several states have moved to make ultrasound part of abortion service provision. Some laws and policies require that a person seeking an abortion receive information on accessing ultrasound services, while others require that a patient undergo an ultrasound before an abortion. Since routine ultrasound is not considered medically necessary as a component of first-trimester abortion, the requirements appear to be a veiled attempt to personify the fetus and dissuade an individual from obtaining an abortion. Moreover, an ultrasound can add significantly to the cost of the procedure.” [Guttmacher Institute, Viewed 5/29/24]