# Pharmacists in Wisconsin Can Prescribe and Dispense Birth Control Under New Bill

Key Highlights :

1. Birth control could be prescribed and dispensed by pharmacists in Wisconsin under a bill that passed the Republican-controlled state Assembly.

2. The GOP-authored measure, which has drawn criticism from anti-abortion groups, next heads to the Senate, where a similar measure stalled last session.

3. But the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Joel Kitchens, has said he's optimistic it will get a Senate vote this time, although some Democrats are concerned it won't pass.

4. Under current state law, women can only obtain most birth control through a prescription written by a doctor or advanced practice nurse. This marks the first time the bill has come up since Wisconsin's 1849 law banning abortion went back into effect.

5. Republicans and their anti-abortion allies, who suffered a series of defeats in ballot questions in states across the political spectrum since that ruling, are tackling the issue nationwide in a variety of ways. In addition to the bill on pharmacist birth control, Wisconsin Republicans also introduced a measure that would create rape and incest exceptions under that state's abortion ban.

6. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to veto anything that doesn't return state law to how it was before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Evers backs a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general, a fellow Democrat, that seeks to overturn Wisconsin's abortion ban. That case is expected to ultimately be decided by the state Supreme Court, which flips from conservative to liberal control in August.

7. The winning liberal Supreme Court candidate in an April election ran as a supporter of abortion rights. Republicans behind the bill allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense common birth control pills and hormonal contraceptive patches say it is a way to prevent more unwanted pregnancies.

8. The measure, which Democrats have introduced in the past, passed the Assembly on a 82-11 vote. All of the no votes were Republicans. It must pass both the Senate and Assembly, and be signed by Evers, before taking effect.

     On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill that would allow pharmacists in the state to prescribe and dispense birth control. If the bill passes the Senate, it would mark the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade that birth control would be available without a doctor's prescription.

     Under current Wisconsin law, women can only obtain most birth control through a prescription written by a doctor or advanced practice nurse. The GOP-authored measure, which has drawn criticism from anti-abortion groups, would change that by allowing pharmacists to dispense common birth control pills and hormonal contraceptive patches.

     The bill passed the Assembly with broad bipartisan support, passing by a 82-11 vote, with all of the no votes coming from Republicans. It must pass both the Senate and Assembly, and be signed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, before taking effect.

     Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has not yet commented on the bill, but Republican Rep. Joel Kitchens, the bill's sponsor, is optimistic that it will get a Senate vote this time. Some Democrats, however, are concerned that it won't pass.

     The bill has the support of a wide array of groups, including the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, the Wisconsin Public Health Association and the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association.

     Opponents of the bill include Pro-Life Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference and Wisconsin Family Action. Governor Evers has vowed to veto anything that doesn't return state law to how it was before Roe v. Wade was overturned. He backs a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general, a fellow Democrat, that seeks to overturn Wisconsin's abortion ban.

     Republicans behind the bill say it is a way to prevent more unwanted pregnancies. Democrats have introduced similar measures in the past, but this is the first time it has come up since Wisconsin's 1849 law banning abortion went back into effect after last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

     The bill, if passed, would be a major step forward for women's rights in Wisconsin, providing access to birth control without a doctor's prescription. It remains to be seen whether the measure will pass the Senate and be signed into law.

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