Gubernatorial candidates Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker have focused their campaigns on job creation and the economy, all but eclipsing the rest of the political discussion. Here is where they stand on two of the state's most pressing social issues.
Barrett
Reproductive rights:
Barrett said he has and will be a strong advocate for women's reproductive rights. He is pro-choice and in favor of access to birth control, contraception and women's reproductive health care. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin gave Barrett their endorsement and heavily criticized Walker for his stance on the issue.
Stem-cell research:
Barrett, like Doyle, is a major supporter of stem-cell research and sees it not only as the gateway to medical breakthroughs for a range of diseases, but as an economic powerhouse of the state. He said any limits on stem-cell research in the state that pioneered the industry could be devastating for UW-Madison and Wisconsin as a whole.
Walker
Reproductive rights:
Walker said he is 100 percent pro-life, and has received endorsements from Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin. ""I believe government has no higher purpose than protecting its citizens, particularly those that cannot fight for themselves like the unborn and elderly,"" he said in a statement.
Stem-cell research:
Walker believes real progress is being made in adult stem-cell research, and, according to his spokeswoman, Jill Bader, he ""just doesn't believe that you need to destroy innocent human embryos to be able to have any medical advances."" Unlike Barrett, Walker does not see limitation on embryonic stem-cell research as a threat to the industry in Wisconsin.
