Did you know that anti-choice legislators tried to ban University of Wisconsin Health Services from prescribing or dispensing certain forms of contraception, including emergency contraception?

Assembly Bill 343, the "UW Birth Control Ban," passed the Wisconsin assembly in 2005 and was carried over into the 2006 legislative session but never reached the governor's desk.  The ban would have infringed upon women's fundamental right to access birth control by prohibiting health care providers at University of Wisconsin health centers from prescribing, dispensing, or advertising birth control, including emergency contraception for rape victims.  In addition, Wisconsin's former Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager found the bill constitutionally deficient in several ways, under both the state and federal Constitutions.

The University of Wisconsin has 26 campuses and more than 160,000 students, many of whom rely on university health services for important medical care.  NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin testified before the State Assembly against the restrictive bill and in defense of women's access to comprehensive reproductive health care on college campuses.  By educating the public about EC and ensuring that patients can get it when needed, University Health Services serve a critical role in preserving the health of Wisconsin students and community members, treating sexual assault survivors with compassion, and reducing unintended pregnancy.

A.B. 343, 97th Leg., 2005-2006 Reg. Sess. (Wis. 2005); Opposition to 2005 AB 343, the "UW Birth Control Ban," Hearings Before the Wis. State Assem., 97th Leg. (2005) (testimony of Kelda Helen Roys , Esq., Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin); Legislating Morals on College Students, The Daily Iowan, June 21, 2005.