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Legislators will vote on ‘Compassionate Care’ soon

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by Cara Harshman

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Pro-life organizations and pro-choice advocates are facing a heated debate over the Assembly's December vote on a bill that would require hospitals throughout Wisconsin to provide rape victims with information about emergency contraception and give it to them upon request.

Known by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault as the "Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill," Pro-Life Wisconsin instead calls the bill the "Chemical Abortion Hospital Mandate."

Emergency contraception, commonly known as the morning-after pill or Plan B, is a high dose of a birth control pill that aims to prevent pregnancy by either delaying a woman's ovulation, interfering with the fertilization of the egg or prohibiting the fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall.

Unlike an abortion pill, emergency contraception does not aim to terminate pregnancy, but rather prevent it.

According to Mike Murray, policy specialist for WCASA, the bill, which could be voted on anytime between Dec. 11 and 13, is necessary.

"Rape victims are worried about a lot of things after an assault: STDs, what their family and friends will think or getting pregnant," Murray said. "Providing the option for emergency contraception is something we can do to help address one of those important fears."

Currently, forms of emergency contraception are available over-the-counter for individuals over the age of 18, but Murray said since rape victims are going through such a traumatic time and might not know about emergency contraception, it is necessary that doctors provide information about it as a medical option.

"Rape victims are uniquely vulnerable, going through possibly the most traumatic time in their lives," Murray said. "The best thing about this bill is it leaves the choices about how they want to begin their own healing process to themselves."

Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, is a co-sponsor of the bill. According to his spokesperson, Julie Laundrie, Erpenbach "believes victims of rape should be treated respectfully and have all the information about their options for them to make informed decisions after they have been victim of a crime."

Matt Sande, director of legislation for Pro-Life Wisconsin, calls the practice "bad medicine" and not being truly compassionate because of how it interferes with medical professionals' "liberty of conscience" the Wisconsin Constitution prohibits under Article 1, Section 18.

"We are bound to respect the conscience of medical professionals who have a strong moral objection to dispensing emergency contraception," Sande said. "We should not force them to choose between their consciences and careers."

One of the largest problems Pro-Life Wisconsin said it has with dispensing EC to rape victims is the uncertainty with how the drug is going to act.

Sande said even by performing tests on the rape victims, there is no way doctors can know whether or not an egg has been fertilized. If a patient is carrying a fertilized egg, Sande says, emergency contraception can cause an abortion.

"Human life begins at fertilization," Sande said. "Personhood of an unborn is not dependent on the circumstances of his or her conception. As traumatic as rape is, a child conceived in rape is still a human being and deserves full human protection."

The Republican-controlled Assembly is scheduled to vote on the bill between Dec. 11 and Dec. 13.

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Anonymous (December 13, 2007 @ 6:26pm):

It is truly amazing that people can be so backwards in this day and age. Matt Sande, Pro-Life Coalition,do you believe you can understand the trauma of rape,alone what it would be like to worry you where impregnated through a vicious act of violence. Let me tell you this stat= your daughter, niece,mother or sister (1-4 women have/will be raped)-which one of these four women would you impose your "wisdom" on? Imagine them going through a rape...deep down....think about it-I truly hope you, much less them ever find out. I am PRO INFO...information would cause less pregnancy ..hence less abortions, why aren't Pro Lifers SCREAMING for that..the Bible says God will judge, not you or anyone else

Not anonymous, r-mcgarry@hotmail.com

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