The Assembly today broadly approved a bipartisan bill to allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense birth control to those 18 years or older.
AB 43, which passed 87-10, applies to oral hormonal contraceptives and hormonal contraceptive patches.
Ten Republicans voted against the bill, including Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego. He was the only lawmaker who spoke ahead of the vote.
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Wichgers in explaining his opposition said, “the faulty and incorrect use of the pill makes the pill ineffective.”
“So to give greater access without informed consent is not helpful to those who are trying to gain access to the use of the pill. So for that, I say that the vote is red,” he added.
Author Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, said at a GOP press conference ahead of the floor session the process for obtaining birth control under the bill is “more rigorous” than the current process. He argued the bill would help prevent unplanned pregnancies in the state by increasing access to birth control.
“This bill will allow women to have more choices in reproductive health care, decrease the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions, and it will save taxpayers dollars, and it will reduce generational poverty,” Kitchens said.
Under AB 43, patients would be required to fill out a self-assessment questionnaire, including an acknowledgement that the contraceptive does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases and that the patient should meet with a physician to discuss their treatment and routine preventive care. Past versions of the bill have failed to pass in the Senate.
AB 43 was one of a series of health care-related bills the Assembly passed today.
The chamber also approved by a voice vote AB 11, which would require hospitals to obtain written informed consent from a patient before performing a pelvic exam solely for educational purposes while the patient is under general anesthesia or unconscious.
Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, said this bill was a “long time coming,” and will be important to protecting patients’ rights. She argued women should not be subjected to non-conscious pelvic exams.
“We have before us a really good bill that is going to make a real difference for many of our constituents, and it is going to protect at least half of us here in this country.”
AB 8, which passed by a voice vote, would clarify that direct primary care is not health insurance, require providers to explain what is covered under direct primary care agreements, and lay out what constitutes a valid direct primary care agreement. Direct primary care agreements allow patients to pay their primary care provider directly through a subscription each month or on an annual basis.
