Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action also announced last week that they will sponsor TV ads urging Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to schedule a vote for Assembly Bill 305, the ban on fetal tissue research. Pro-Life Wisconsin legislative director Matt Sande said the ads are specifically calling on Vos because the organizations know the Assembly has the votes to pass the bill.

"I don't know of anybody who wants it to pass as-is. I’m sure some votes would be there for it … but there’s also a real concern about hampering, just putting a chilling effect on the research piece," Fitzgerald said. "The UW, as they make their rounds here in the Capitol, talking to legislators, they’ve been making the case in many different ways, and some of that is related just to lost revenue that the UW may experience, but also trying to make the case that it could freeze out even some researchers from working at UW research. So we’re continuing to talk about it."