[media-credit name=’AJ MACLEAN/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]University of Wisconsin students could be restricted from obtaining prescription birth control, and in particular emergency contraception, if proposed legislation banning the University Health Services distribution is approved by the state Legislature.

State Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, announced Tuesday he has started drafting legislation banning any university health center in Wisconsin from advertising or distributing the morning-after pill.

LeMahieu decided to draft the legislation after a controversial UHS spring-break advertisement was printed in The Badger Herald and The Daily Cardinal. The ad advised females to use condoms during sex and informed them to have emergency contraception on hand if the condom fails.

“I think it’s offensive that the university is trying to tell young women to be prepared and to plan ahead so they can have promiscuous activities on spring break,” LeMahieu said. “I don’t think that it’s the role of the university to promote that type of activity, and I believe that’s what their ad is asking young people to do.”

UW should first be “made aware” that many people who are paying state taxes do not appreciate the offensive advertisements, according to LeMahieu.

“Our intent is that [the university] know this is not the type of activity we want to condone in the state of Wisconsin,” he said.

UHS Executive Director Kathleen Poi said it is too early to comment on any legislation that has not yet been drafted, but she stands firm to the university’s decision to run the advertisement in the student newspapers.

“UHS stands by its current practice of prescribing emergency contraception to students on this campus should they desire it,” Poi said. “We believe this is a preventive action; [we are] not encouraging promiscuity — there is no evidence that women use this in that way.”

Emergency contraception is not a substitute for other contraception. It is a preventative strategy to help students find a solution if their normal contraception fails, Poi added.

State Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, a registered nurse, supports the UHS advertisements because they remind students to act responsibly over spring break.

Emergency contraception is a high dosage of birth-control pills and does not end pregnancy, but prevents it, Robson said.

“Nobody can be against family planning and also be pro-life,” she said. “The way to prevent abortions is to prevent unintended pregnancies, [and] the way to prevent unintended pregnancies is through contraception.”

According to Poi, the availability of the morning-after pill is also important for students who have been sexually assaulted.

UW sophomore and Sex Out Loud program facilitator Ann Slabosky said the morning-after pill provides a second chance to prevent unwanted pregnancy for couples whose first method of birth control has failed or for women who have been sexually assaulted.

“Advertising the morning-after pill does not promote ‘promiscuous sexual relations’ any more than supplying air bags promotes reckless driving,” Slabosky said. “We hope our representatives can vote with the health of Wisconsin’s students in mind and vote no on this legislation.”

Several student organizations will staff informational tables with UHS nurse practitioners from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Memorial Union Wednesday to answer any questions students may have about emergency contraception.

Conscience Protection Act

Many supporters of the legislation to restrict emergency contraception also stand opposed to forcing health-care providers to offer medical services, such as abortion, to patients.

The Conscience Protection Act, introduced Tuesday at a press conference held by Rep. Jean Hundertmark, R-Clintonville, aims to protect health-care providers who wish to refuse to participate in activities that oppose their morals.

A panel of health-care professionals also attended the conference to express their support of the bill.

“Under current law, [health-care professionals] are faced with potentially losing their jobs, being professionally disciplined or even sued for following their religious or moral beliefs,” Hundertmark said in a release.

Current law protects these professionals from performing abortion and sterilization procedures, but proponents of the proposed legislation believe health-care practices such as destruction of an in-vitro human embryo for embryonic stem-cell research, assisted suicide and euthanasia should also not have to be performed by professionals morally opposed to such procedures.

Second-year medical student Anderson Bauer, who attends the Medical College of Wisconsin, also spoke at the event to show support for the bill.

“Medical students and the other health-care professionals in Wisconsin need safeguards for our deeply felt, very personal beliefs,” Bauer said. “We need freedom and choice to abide by our own consciences.”

This is not the first year the bill has surfaced in the state Legislature. Last session, a similar bill was vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle.

Opponents have dubbed the legislation the Patient Abandonment Bill because they believe refusing patients certain medications and treatments based on personal beliefs is unfair to the patient.

Robson spokesperson Kelley Flury said the danger in the legislation is the vague language.

“The language … can be open to broad interpretation by health-care providers to go as far as denying care for women,” Flury said.

The bill would not require medical professionals to refer the patient to another pharmacy or physician, which could leave a patient to linger with treatment the doctor thinks is best, rather than what the patient thinks is best, Flury said.