In a late night session, the Wisconsin Assembly elected to ignore pending legislation designed to improve the economy in favor of bills mandating abstinence-only education and banning abortion coverage in private health insurance.

The Wisconsin Assembly passed bills limiting insurance coverage for abortions and requiring schools to teach abstinence during a late-night session that lasted until Wednesday morning as they pushed to tie up pending legislation.

The Legislature was poised to adjourn Thursday without passing its two highest priorities coming into the year: a mining bill to help create hundreds of jobs in northern Wisconsin and a measure pumping money into venture capital to help spur new business creation.

Instead, lawmakers spent the early morning hours Wednesday fighting over abortion rights and sex education. The Assembly also passed a bill creating the state’s first wolf hunting season.

Democrats decried the abortion and sex education bills as part of a national war on women, but they didn’t have the votes to stop them.

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