-- An arrangement that allows doctors and residents from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to perform abortions at the local Planned Parenthood clinic is being challenged at the State Capitol.
A handful of Republican lawmakers believe the deal violates a state law that prohibits public dollars from going to pay for abortions.
A bill to prohibit the practice was introduced nearly three months ago, but got its first hearing in front of the Assembly Committee on Science and Technology Tuesday morning.
Under the arrangement in question, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health provides services to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Madison - including abortions - performed by their full-time physicians or residents.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin pays the School of Medicine for those physician services at a rate of $150 dollars an hour.
Rep. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) authored Assembly Bill 206 to bring that to an end.
"UW seeks to continue propping up Planned Parenthood and Madison's abortion facility by having state employees - on state time, within the scope of their state employment, paid by state taxpayers and state benefits - perform abortions," said Rep. Jacque.
But UW School of Medicine officials have argued that in order to maintain in good standing with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, their OB-GYN resident physicians must be trained in abortion services.
"I'm concerned that if we're going to be in express violation of the ACGME, we're going to be having to deal with these kinds of suspensions or repercussions where we're gonna lose accreditation at our university," said Rep. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg).
Rep. Jacque refutes that argument, saying several medical schools across the country don't provide such abortion training and are still accredited.
But the AGCME won't confirm that. They do not comment on the status of a medical school's accreditation.
Republican leaders in both the Senate and the Assembly have been very quiet about AB 206 and have given no indication they plan to bring the legislation forward for a floor vote this session.
For more go to WKOW: http://www.wkow.com/story/35914495/2017/07/18/bill-would-prohibit-agreement-that-allows-uw-doctors-to-perform-abortions-for-planned-parenthood