The Wisconsin Assembly has amended a bill that would provide all rape victims access to emergency contraception at hospitals across the state.

The Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill passed in the Senate, but was amended by the Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee to include a "conscience clause" to protect the First Amendment rights of employees.

The bill was first introduced in 2005 to ensure rape victims are provided the option of taking emergency contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

"I believe that the victims of rape should expect a basic level of care when they come to a hospital, and just about every major medical association has determined that this [option] should be included," Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said.

Hintz thinks those who amended the bill are trying to express an opinion that is not shared with the constituency of Wisconsin.

"There are a small group of extremists who believe that all forms of birth control are abortion," Hintz said. "[This is] something that I believe is out of the mainstream line of thinking of the public and out of line with science."

Lance Burri, a spokesperson for Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, chair of the Judiciary and Ethics Committee, said the representative opposes the bill for very important reasons.

"There were some significant constitutional problems with the bill: First Amendment rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, forcing people to say things they don't mean and do things they don't believe that may be against their religious beliefs."

But Hintz didn't think the original form of the bill had any of these problems.

"This bill respected the individual personal beliefs of people while addressing the standard of care we think victims of assault should receive, and that wasn't good enough for people who all testified that all birth control is abortion," Hintz said.

Hintz added making emergency contraception available to all rape victims in the state is a public health issue.

"Unfortunately, those who oppose it have turned it into a religious issue," Hintz said.

Since the Assembly's amended version of the bill is no longer the same as the original bill that passed with a vote of 27-6 in the Senate, it may never become law. The Assembly and the Senate must agree on a single version of the bill before it can be sent to the governor to be signed into law.

Hintz said the vote on the new bill could be indicative of an overall trend in the state.

"It says to me that politics in this state are about to change," Hintz said. "I think most reasonable people in the state understand why this is a necessary bill, and if we're going to have a few people get in the way of a common sense bill, maybe we need to get rid of a few of the people."