Planned Parenthood asks governor to enforce birth control law

Walker says state will no longer enforce law after ruling in Hobby Lobby case

MADISON, Wis. — Planned Parenthood is asking Gov. Scott Walker to enforce a law he said he will no longer enforce in the state.

Walker’s administration said they will no longer enforce birth control coverage laws in Wisconsin following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby case.

In the case, the Supreme Court ruled that companies with religious objections are not bound to the contraception requirement in the federal health care law.

Critics argue that the ruling does not apply to state law and that there is a disconnect with what Wisconsinites want.

“Birth control is not a controversial issue. Ninety-nine percent of women use it sometime in their lives, and what we’re really asking for is for Gov. Walker to enforce the law as he is required to do,” said Nicole Safara, political director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.

The Contraceptive Equality Law, requiring employers to cover birth control, was passed in 2009 under Gov. Jim Doyle. Walker tried to repeal it a year later, but was unsuccessful.