REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN
WISCONSIN HAVE BROKEN WITH
ANTI-ABORTION GROUPS BY
INTRODUCING A BILL ALLOWING
BROADER ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL.
IN TONIGHT'S LOOK AHEAD, A BILL
SUPPORTED BY THE LEGISLATURES
INCLUDING SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
WOULD ALLOW PHARMACISTS TO
PRESCRIBE BIRTH CONTROL PILLS
AND HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE
PATCHES.
LEAD SPONSOR REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTATIVE MARY FELZKOWSKI
JOINS US BY PHONE.
THANK YOU FOR DOING SO.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVEING ME ON.
>> SO WHY DO YOU AND OTHERS
THINK WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO
GET CON ACCEPT TIFS FROM CONTRACEPTIVES FROM A
PHARMACIST AND NOT THEIR DOCTOR?
>> WHEN YOU NEED A DOCTOR TO
PRESCRIBE IT, THERE'S CERTAIN
CRITERIA THAT GOES IN THERE AS
WELL IN THE SAFETY OF THE DRUG.
OVER THE YEARS SINCE THE BIRTH
CONTROL BILL WAS FIRST
INTRODUCED, BACK IN THE 60s,
IT HAD A HIGH LEVEL OF HORMONES
AND THERE WERE SIDE EFFECTS TO
IT.
BUT OVER THE YEARS AS SCIENTISTS
HAVE COME FARTHER, THERE'S VERY
LOW LEVEL OF HORMONES INVOLVED
IN IT.
IF I GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR THE
FIRST TIME FOR BIRTH CONTROL,
THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE MY BROTHER
AND DO A HEALTH FITTING.
THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT WHAT
OTHER DRUGS I'M ON AND THEN
THEY'RE GOING TO RECOMMEND
WHETHER OR NOT I SHOULD BE ON
THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL OR ORAL
CONTRACEPTION.
PHARMACISTS ARE TRAINED TO DO
THE EXACT SAME THING.
THEY KNOW HOW DRUGS INTERACT
WITH EACH OTHER, THEY KNOW IF
SOMEBODY HAS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
THEY MIGHT NEED TO HAVE SOME
FURTHER EXAM AND STUFF ON THAT.
SO WE LOOKED AT THIS AND SAID --
I MEAN THERE'S RISK WITH
EVERYTHING WHENEVER YOU TAKE A
DRUG BUT IF THEY'RE WAITING FOR
WOMEN TO ACCESS THIS AND EASILY
ACCESS IT, FAR OUTWEIGHS THE
CHALLENGES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND KEEP IN MIND THE PLAN B OR
THE MORNING AFTER PILL HAS SEVEN
TIMES THE HORMONE LEVEL THAT
MOST ORAL CONTRACEPTIONS HAVE
AND YET YOU DON'T EACH HAVE TO
GO THROUGH THE PHARMACIST, YOU
CAN WALK IN AND BUY IT OFF THE
SHELF.
SO IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO MAKE
THIS AVAILABLE FOR WOMEN A LOT
EASIER THROUGH THE HELP OF A
PHARMACIST.
>> SO WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC
RULES AROUND THIS FOR A
PRESCRIBING PHARMACIST?
>> SO IT'S NOT A MANDATE FOR
PHARMACISTS.
THIS IS OPTIONAL IF THEY WANT TO
OFFER THE SERVICE, SO IF I COME
IN THERE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO
A HEALTH SCREENING ON ME, A
QUESTIONNAIRE, AND THEN BLOOD
PRESSURE BEFORE THEY WOULD BE
ABLE TO GIVE TO ME, THE
PRESCRIPTION.
>> SOME CONSERVATIVES AND
ANTIABORTION GROUPS, AS YOU
KNOW, OPPOSE BROADENING
CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS INCLUDING
WISCONSIN FAMILY ACTION WHICH
SAYS, QUOTE, INCREASING THE
AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN
CONTRACEPTIVES WILL NOT
NECESSARILY REDUCE UNINTENDED
PREGNANCIES BUT COULD DEFINITELY
INCREASE UNWANTED SEXUAL
ACTIVITY A SITUATION NOT IN THE
INDIVIDUAL'S BEST INTEREST OR
THE STATE'S.
IN ADDITION, SOME
CONTRACEPTIVES -- WHICH CAUSES A
PRETERM CHEMICAL ABORTION
KILLING THE UNBORN HUMAN BABY.
WE DO NOT SUPPORT SUCH
CONTRACEPTIVES.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?
>> SO WE HEARD TESTIMONY,
SCIENTIFIC TESTIMONY AND REPORT,
YOU KNOW, THAT WHAT THE BIRTH
CONTROL PILL DOES IS IT THICKENS
THE MUCUS LINING ON THE UTERINE
WALL, OKAY, WHICH PREVENTS A
SPERM FROM ACTUALLY REACHING THE
EGG AND FROM CONTRACEPTION TO
TAKE PLACE.
AND IF THIS IS TRUE, AND THIS
WAS POINTED OUT BY ONE OF THE
SCIENTISTS THAT TESTIFIED, SO IF
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS TRUE, WE
WOULD HAVE MORE ECTOPIC OR
TUBULAR PREGNANCIES, SO IT'S NOT
TRUE.
LET ME JUST CLARIFY, I AM 100%
PRO-LIFE.
100%.
100 OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
HAVE DONE THIS.
OTHER STATES HAVE DONE THIS.
AND ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT WAS
GIVEN IS THE UNPLANNED PREGNANCY
RATE IN DENVER, COLORADO SINCE
THEY HAVE GONE TO THIS HAS
DROPPED BY 50%.
SO IN MY MIND, IT GIVES YOUNG
WOMEN, ESPECIALLY YOUNG WOMEN IN
POVERTY, IT GIVES THEM MORE
CONTROL ABOUT PLANNING ON WHEN
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE THEIR
CHILD.
AND BY ALLOWING THAT, IF WE CAN
GET KIDS THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL,
LET THEM GET THEIR DEGREE,
HOPEFULLY MAYBE GET SOME
SECONDARY EDUCATION AND OUT IN
THE WORKFORCE BEFORE THEY PLAN
TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN, WE TAKE
THEM OUT OF THAT LIFETIME OF
POVERTY.
YOUNG WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 20
THAT HAVE CHILDREN OUT OF
WEDLOCK ARE 75% MORE LIKELY TO
LIVE THEIR LIFE IN POVERTY THAN
OUT OF POVERTY.
>> WITH JUST ABOUT 30 SECONDS
LEFT, CAN I ASK WHETHER YOU
CONSIDER THIS A BREAK WITH
GROUPS LIKE PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN
AND WISCONSIN FAMILY ACTION?
>> NO, I PERSONALLY DON'T.
BUT THEY DO.
SO EVERYBODY'S ENTITLED TO THEIR
OPINION.
SO NO, OUR CAUCUS IS
PREDOMINANTLY 100% PRO-LIFE AND
THIS IS SUPPORTED BY OUR CAUCUS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
I KNOW THAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
REPRESENTATIVE MARY FELZKOWSKI
OF IRMA, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> YOU BET.