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search) believes taxpayer-funded ed ucational institutions have no business dispensing emergency contracepti on. "I do believe that the Plan B morning-after pill can cause a chemical abo rtion," said the Republican lawmaker.
search) health clinics from advertising or distributing the Plan B pill, which is taken after sex to prevent pregnancy. The impact on students worries some school administrators. "This is interfering with our ability to provide a legitimate service to students who pay for our services and rely on us to provide their health care," said Kathy Poi, executive director of University Health Services UW Madison. Mae Singerman, 20, took emergency contraceptio n three months ago and said a pregnancy might force her to drop out. "It was a really stressful situation, so having access to emergency birth control was totally vital," she said. "Who knows if I would be in schoo l right now if I hadn't had access?" The passage of the bill has created a clash of ideologies in Wisconsin an d its historically liberal universities. The state is the first in the c ountry to have a legislative chamber pass a ban on emergency contracepti on on college campuses. Similar legislation has died in Virginia the pas t two years.
Pro-Life Wisconsin, sai d he hopes the measure is a sign of things to come. "I think that basically sends a message that there is a real concern with the morning-after pill," he said. Critics say LeMahieu's bill is overly broad, and could one day result in a ban of all contraception on campus.
search), said the b ill not only discriminates against female students but also raises numer ous constitutional concerns. "There is a real danger Representative LeMahieu's proposed legislation wo uld be interpreted to include all hormonal birth-control medications, fu rther limiting UW students' access to contraceptive options," she wrote. "Obviously we aren't going to be able to legislate the social activities of students and of young people," he said. It is not clear which way the state Senate will go on the matter, but the earliest vote could take place this fall after the summer recess. Even if the bill passes again, its chances of becoming law may be bleak: Wisc onsin Gov.
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