The state of Wisconsin appears to have removed a link to a religious anti-abortion group from its website after receiving a letter of objection from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
FFRF wrote Gov. Scott Walker on July 14 that the state shouldn't be directing residents to Care Net "pregnancy centers" while offering no links to information about legitimate, legal abortion providers. Care Net’s vision statement says: “Our vision is a culture where lives are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and every woman chooses life for herself and her unborn child.”
Clicking on "Health & Safety" at wisconsin.gov, the online portal to Wisconsin government, led to (under "Family and Consumer Services") "Family Services Links - NEW!" Clicking that brought up "Care Net Pregnancy Centers" under the "Family" subheading.
A check at wisconsin.gov today revealed the Care Net link is gone. The link was removed on Aug. 8, said Chris Schoenherr, state Department of Administration spokesman. "In general, the policy for the Wisconsin.gov website is to provide links to .gov and .edu websites only."
"By advertising this organization on a state of Wisconsin website, you are advertising evangelical ideals as well as an anti-abortion stance," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote in objecting to the link. "Such religious propaganda has no place on a government website under 'Health & Safety.'
"Care Net promotes a rabid evangelical Christian agenda, and is hostile to nonbelievers, non-Christians and nonevangelicals, as well as the feminist principle of a woman’s right to reproductive self-determination."
The Foundation is also concerned about other faith-based links, including one to the Brighter Futures Initiative. The entire state website has an abstinence-only agenda to prevent teen pregnancy with no information on contraception in any of the links listed.
The Brighter Futures Initiative link is still there.