The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that will require hospitals in Wisconsin to offer rape victims access to emergency contraception.
The Compassionate Care bill received bipartisan support and passed with a 25-6 vote.
Nadine Grantz, spokesperson for Senate Majority leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said many Wisconsin hospitals already provide rape victims with information about emergency contraception.
According to Grantz, the bill simply seeks to regulate care across the state to standards set by the American Medical Association.
There is a lot of sense that [medical professionals] are very happy to have legislation that makes it clear what the expectation is,"" Grantz said.
Steve VanDinter, spokesperson for St. Mary's hospital, said the bill will not change the hospital's standard of care.
""We do offer emergency contraceptives to rape victims provided a pregnancy test shows the woman was not pregnant prior to the rape,"" he said.
State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said in a statement he supported the bill and a woman's right to emergency contraception. He introduced legislation similar to the Compassionate Care bill in the state Assembly for the past seven years.
""The Senate vote today cast partisan politics aside and did the right thing for rape victims,"" he said.
The bill faced opposition from religious and pro-life groups in Wisconsin, who see the contraceptives as a form of abortion. The anti-abortion group Pro-life Wisconsin has opposed the bill since its introduction.
According to the Medical Examining Board Policy, doctors who do not inform sexual assault victims of their right to emergency contraception could be ""subject to discipline for unprofessional conduct.""
State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said in an e-mail that ""medical students should be informed about this new policy.""
Gov. Jim Doyle has been a supporter of the Compassionate Care bill and is expected to sign the bill soon.
