(CNSNews.com) -- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, signed legislation on Tuesday that prohibits the group health insurance plans for state and local workers from covering abortion, thus preventing taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for such procedures.
Walker signed Assembly Bill 128, which prohibits the Group Insurance Board from "contracting for or providing abortion services." The law does make exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother's life.
As the bill states, "Under current law, the Group Insurance Board offers health insurance coverage to eligible employees under the Wisconsin Retirement System, which include all state employees and state annuitants and may include local government employees if the local governmental unit elects to participate in a GIB health insurance plan."
"This bill prohibits GIB from entering into any contract with respect to a group health insurance plan or providing a group health insurance plan on a self-insured basis that provides abortion services, with certain exceptions," reads the legislation.
Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director Dan Miller said, "Pro-Life Wisconsin is grateful to Governor Walker for singing into law a bill that respects the consciences of Wisconsin taxpayers who oppose public funding of abortion."
"Government must not force us to participate in the killing of our preborn brothers and sisters with our state tax dollars," said Miller.
Twenty-two other states have simlar laws.