Three pro-choice appointments were approved for the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority Board and the state Medical Examining Board by the Wisconsin state Senate yesterday despite opposition from Republicans and anti-choice activists. A spokeswoman for state Senator Russ Drucker told The Daily Cardinal that “[Senate Democrats] approved all of them because their views on any particular single issue wasn’t a qualification for the job. We voted on all of them based on their qualifications for the job, and all of them were qualified.”
Governor Jim Doyle nominated Roger Axtell and Mike Weiden to continue service on the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority Board that voted 11 to 3 in Februaryto offer abortions to women up to the 22nd week of pregnancy. Both nominees voted with the majority. Republicans and anti-choice groups claimed this pro-choice vote should disqualify both candidates, according to the Associated Press. The University of Wisconsin decided to consider offering later term abortions after learning that the only area provider who offered abortions up to the 22nd week of pregnancy had retired.
The third nominee, former state Representative Sheldon Wasserman, was appointed to Wisconsin’s state Medical Examining Board. Opponents also criticized Wasserman because he supports abortion rights.
