This is the first in a series of editorials focusing on Gov. Scott Walker's new two-year state budget.

Last week, the U.S. House, including five of Wisconsin's eight-member delegation, voted to save money and prevent abortion - ensuring more money will be squandered and more abortions performed. This week, Gov. Scott Walker took the first steps to do much the same thing.

In the U.S. House, the GOP majority approved a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood and Title X, the federal family planning program for low-income women. Walker, in his biennial budget released on Tuesday, did the same for Title V, the state's family planning program for low-income women.

If the state Legislature goes along, that means the end of access to birth control and basic reproductive health care for many of Wisconsin's low-income women and girls. And though a third of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's clinics provide many of these services - thanks to Title V - we'd note that smaller providers use most of that money.

And what these actions neglect is that $1 of public money spent on family planning services saves $4 in Medicaid spending, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

But, of course, this isn't really about money, though Walker says it is. Abortion is the issue. And Planned Parenthood is likely the intended target.

So in the interest of preventing this organization from providing a legal service that is not paid for with federal or state funds except in cases of rape, incest or health of the mother, the House and Walker are targeting services that save the federal and state governments money - and prevent abortions because they prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Walker also is asking the Legislature to repeal a law that requires insurance companies that cover prescriptions to also cover birth control that is prescribed. And another proposal by Walker, who is avowedly anti-abortion, is that the Legislature give the administration broad authority to make changes to the state's Medicaid programs.

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood serves about 73,000 women seeking such services yearly, 30,000 of these in Milwaukee County alone.

The U.S. Senate must halt the House's defunding. And the Legislature should not approve Walker's assault on Title V and should not give such sweeping authority to his administration as part of a budget bill. Break out these proposals, and debate them separately.

These actions constitute a perfect storm purposely and counterproductively directed toward women. There is no credible reason for it.