MILWAUKEE: The largest business lobbying group in Wisconsin opposes a bill to ban research on tissue from aborted fetuses, saying it would impede medical research. Kurt Bauer, president and CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, said his group appreciates that backers of the bill narrowed its scope this week, but opposes it nonetheless. “As the state Chamber of Commerce, WMC has members in all sectors of the economy, including bio-tech and bioscience.
Those members have expressed concerns about the bill’s impact on their ability to conduct medical research,” Bauer said in an email.Wisconsin Manufacturer & Commerce’s position further clouds the future of the legislation, which key Republicans hope to pass this fall, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The situation puts two strong GOP allies – the business lobby and the anti-abortion coalition – at odds.
But the lead sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Andre Jacque of De Pere, said he’s confident the legislation will become law, even with opposition from Wisconsin Manufacturer & Commerce. He noted that a majority of state lawmakers have signed onto the bill, with 42 representatives and 10 senators as co-sponsors.“If you look at the number of legislative co-sponsors, I would think it’s certainly something that has quite a bit of legislative support,” Jacque said. The bill would let researchers use tissue from fetuses aborted before Jan. 1, but not later.
