After passing through both branches of the state government, the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Jim Doyle.  This law will require emergency room personnel to give information about emergency contraception to all victims of sexual assault, and dispense it if desired.  Emergency contraception greatly reduces the risk of unintended pregnancy, thereby reducing the need for abortion.  It is legal, safe, and available for over the counter purchase for women over 18. However, in a survey from 2002, it was found that less than 1/3 of Wisconsin hospitals had this contraception stocked. 

     In 2002, a survey found that 300,000 women were raped each year, resulting in 25,000 unwanted pregnancies.  16,000 of these unintended pregnancies ended in abortion. With the effectiveness of emergency contraception, 22,000 (88%) of the pregnancies and the resulting abortions could be prevented if all sexual assault survivors used emergency contraception.

On Wednesday, February 27th, the Senate Health Committee heard testimony on SB 398, the Women's Health and Safety Act. The bill seeks to repeal Wisconsin statute 940.04 (Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban), which, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, would outlaw nearly all forms of abortion in Wisconsin. Moreover, the law includes a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for doctors who perform an abortion and a woman could receive up to 3.5 years in prison for having an abortion or performing an abortion on herself. The law is currently unenforceable as the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade legalized abortions in all fifty states 35 years ago. However, if Roe fell, Wisconsin's Criminal Abortion Ban would immediately go into effect; local district attorneys could prosecute both women and doctors involved in the now-illegal procedure.