For Immediate Release: May 16, 2007

Media Contact: Elizabeth Larson
414-289-3748

414-759-4761 Cell

Senate Passes Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill
Advocates urge Assembly to follow Senate’s lead in this proactive bipartisan effort

Madison, WI- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI), victims' rights advocates and women who have been victims of the devastating crime of rape applaud the state Senate for passing the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill, Senate Bill 129 by a vote of 27 to 6. The Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill requires hospital emergency rooms to inform rape victims about emergency contraception (EC) and dispense it upon request.

PPAWI thanks the following senators for supporting SB 129:

Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee)

Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee)

Senator Jim Sullivan (D-West Allis)

Senator Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee)

Senator Jeff Plale (D-Milwaukee)

Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills)

Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls)

Senator Roger Breske (D-Eland)

Senator Luther Olsen (R-Berlin)

Senator Judy Robson (D-Beloit)

Senator Mark Miller (D-Madison)

Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center)

Senator Carol Roessler (R-Oshkosh)

Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah)

Senator John Lehman (D-Racine)

Senator Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie)

Senator Pat Kreitlow (D-Eau Claire)

Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point)

Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar)

Senator Fred Risser (D-Madison)

Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Madison)

Senator Russ Decker (D-Schofield)

Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay)

Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Eau Claire)

Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield)

Senator Alan Lasee (R- De Pere)

Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay)

Despite the widespread public support and demonstrated need for SB 129, the following Senators voted to deny rape victims information about and access to pregnancy prevention in Wisconsin’s hospital emergency rooms:

Senator Dan Kapanke (R- La Crosse)

Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau)

Senator Mary Lazich (R-Waukesha)

Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend)

Senator Joe Liebham (R-Sheboygan)

Senator Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn)

PPAWI called on members of the community to urge their state Assembly representatives to sponsor the companion bill to SB 129 sponsored by Representative Terry Musser (R-Black River Falls) and Mark Pocan (D-Madison) and is currently circulating in the Assembly. Advocates for the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill are also urging Assembly leaders to move as quickly on the bill as their Senate counterparts, to ensure the immediate passage of this important initiative.

"The time to move is now. The implementation of comprehensive, compassionate care for rape victims in Wisconsin is long overdue," said PPAWI Public Policy Director Chris Taylor. "Let's show the courageous rape survivors who have spoken out on this issue that we are listening, and ready to take decisive action on behalf of the most vulnerable in our state."

Over the past two years, rape survivors, victims' rights advocates and concerned citizens have held community hearings in Oshkosh, Eau Claire and Milwaukee in an effort to encourage the Legislature to pass the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill. While they consider today’s vote a true victory for women’s health, they recognize that the fight to ensure compassionate care is not over yet.

"It has been so painful to share the terrifying experience I endured, but I will continue to do everything in my power to help pass this bill in both houses, so that no Wisconsin woman will be denied the comprehensive and humane care she deserves," said Linda Gage, a rape survivor. "As a survivor and the mother of three daughters, I plead with members of the Assembly to protect my girls, and all of the women in this state, by making my dream for compassionate care a reality in Wisconsin."

EC is a concentration of birth control pills that prevents pregnancy if taken within 120 hours of an assault. EC is at least 89 percent effective when taken within 72 hours, making timely access critically important for victims of rape. American Medical Association guidelines support rape victims' access to EC, but studies show it's not happening consistently. A 2006 survey of 109 Wisconsin hospital emergency departments shows that only one third of Wisconsin hospitals provide EC on site without exception to rape victims. Forty-two percent do not offer EC at all and another 23 percent offer it but have exceptions to their policy.

To learn more about EC and the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill, please visit www.ppawi.org.

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI). The mission of PPWI is to empower all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health through direct services, education, and advocacy.  www.ppawi.org