Over 15,000 petition signatures from Wisconsin residents demanding the protection of contraception access were delivered to Republican leaders in the State Legislature March 7.
During a press conference, members of the State Legislature pushed for the proposed Right to Contraception Act to be scheduled for a vote before the 2023-24 legislative session concludes this spring.
State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein, a Democrat from Middleton, said there is no time for complacency when it comes to protecting the use of contraceptives.
“With the continued onslaught of attacks on reproductive freedoms throughout the nation, including the Alabama Supreme Court’s shocking ruling on frozen embryos, we must take action to protect contraception access and people’s medical freedom,” Hesselbein said.
The Right to Contraception Act, which was co-sponsored by State Rep. and former Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri, would establish that a person has the statutory right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception.
The bill would also establish that health care providers have a right to provide contraceptives, contraception and to provide information on contraception.
Although contraceptives and contraception are many times used interchangeably, the bill defines contraceptives as any drug, device or biological product used to prevent pregnancy, while contraception is defined as an action taken to prevent pregnancy, such as sterilization.
State Rep. Lisa Subeck, a Democrat from Madison, said that protection of the use of contraceptives is not a sure thing anymore in light of recent events.
“If the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade has shown us anything, it is that the fundamental right to privacy we have come to expect as Americans is not guaranteed in the face of extremist legislators and activist judges who put their political agenda ahead of our reproductive freedom,” Subeck said. “Contraception is safe, essential healthcare, and access to contraceptive products and services is central to the ability to fully participate in economic and social life.”
Under the Right to Contraception Act, health care providers would not be able to prevent patients from using contraceptives or contraception and would make it illegal to prevent access to contraception, contraceptives or information relating to both.
The bill says that state and local governments can’t prohibit or restrict the sale or use of FDA-approved contraceptives and the attorney general has the power to “bring a cause of action for a violation of the provisions of the bill.”
Megan Lowe, an advocate for the Right to Contraception Act, said that to her the issue of contraceptives isn’t a political issue; it’s a personal one.
“The overwhelming public support for contraception reflects the importance of this fight,” Lowe said. “I urge everyone, especially our legislators, to recognize the urgency of this moment and support the Wisconsin Right to Contraception Act.”
UW Oshkosh students can contact their state legislators to voice their opinions or learn more about the proposed legislation. State Senator Dan Feyen (R – Fond du Lac) can be reached via email at while Palmeri (D – Oshkosh) can be contacted at
