Quick Facts on Assembly Bill 343
Legislation Prohibiting the UW System from Distributing
the Morning-After Pill

State Representative Dan LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) has introduced legislation – 2005 Assembly Bill (AB) 343 – that would prohibit the University of Wisconsin System (UWS) from advertising, prescribing or dispensing the morning-after pill on its statewide campuses. Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly supports this bill which has received 40 legislative co-sponsors.

Assembly Bill 343 was prompted by a series of recent ads published in campus newspapers by the UW-Madison health services division encouraging students to “prepare” for spring break by accessing “emergency contraception,” also known as the morning-after pill. The ads advised students to call University Health Services to get their prescription over the phone without an appointment.

What the bill does:

· AB 343 prohibits the University of Wisconsin System (UWS) from advertising, prescribing or dispensing the morning-after pill.
· The bill also prohibits a person from advertising, prescribing, or dispensing the morning-after pill on UWS property.
· AB 343 specifically exempts property leased to the UW Hospital and Clinics Authority, thereby excluding the UW Hospital from the bill’s prohibitions.

What the bill does not do:

· AB 343 does not ban all birth control drugs and devices on UW System campuses.
· AB 343 does not ban the birth control pill. The bill specifically targets the morning-after pill, defined as a hormonal medication or combination of medications that is administered ONLY after sexual intercourse for the post-coital control of fertility. The Pill and other routine hormonal birth control methods are administered before sexual intercourse, and are therefore not subject to the prohibitions in the bill.
· Opponents of the bill who continually claim that AB 343 “bans all birth control” on UW campuses demonstrate either their deceitfulness or ignorance.

Why the bill is important:

· AB 343 protects unborn children – While admitting that the morning-after pill inhibits implantation, promoters claim that it does not end a pregnancy. The fact is that so-called “emergency contraception” will often act to cause a chemical abortion. The morning-after-pill is basically two high doses of the birth control pill taken within a 72-hour period. It can work in three ways: to suppress ovulation, to inhibit the mobility of sperm, and, if fertilization occurs, to irritate the lining of the uterus so that a newly conceived child (human embryo) is unable to implant in the womb, thus starving and dying. This last action is chemical abortion.

· AB 343 protects women’s health – Not only can the morning-after pill kill a tiny preborn person, it can also harm women. Immediate health side-effects include such life-threatening conditions as ectopic pregnancy and blood clot formation. Importantly, there are no long-term studies to show whether women will be permanently damaged, or risk such diseases as cancer, from these chemicals being given in such high doses for repeated use. The morning-after pill also offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including AIDS.

· AB 343 focuses the UW System on its core mission: education – Promoting and facilitating frequent use of a powerful hormonal drug regimen without qualified medical oversight is not the proper role of the UW System. Nowhere in the UW System Mission Statement do we read, either explicitly or implicitly, the provison of the moring-after pill as a System purpose. Such “family planning” issues are not properly under the purview of our public university educators. Who will be liable for adverse health outcomes on students? The University? If so, who will foot the bill for subsequent civil litigation? The taxpayers.

· AB 343 promotes reporting of sexual assault and encourages physical / emotional therapy following sexual assault – Liberal distribution of the morning-after pill on college campuses very likely suppresses the reporting of sexual assault including date rape. Not only is it critical for a woman to report a sexual assault so that she is not re-victimized, it is even more critical for her to be physically examined in an emergency room setting so as to detect a possible STD or other health complication. Emotional therapy is just as critical as physical therapy. The false sense of security the morning-after pill provides following a sexual assault very likely discourages victims from accessing emergency care.

AB 343 has been referred to the Assembly Family Law Committee, chaired by Representative Carol Owens (R-Oshkosh), who is a cosponsor of the bill. For a copy of the bill, please go to: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/AB-343.pdf

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