Emergency contraception and physicians' rights of conscience: a review of current legal standards in Wisconsin.

Recent legislation in Wisconsin mandating provision of emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault may create a conflict of conscience for some health care professionals. Although disputes exist over the exact mechanism of action of emergency contraception, those professionals who espouse a particularly strict stance may be reluctant to dispense the medication for fear that it could prevent a fertilized embryo from implanting in the uterus. While no objection of conscience clause was written into the new law, Wisconsin law has a long tradition of recognizing rights of conscience in matters of religious conflict. This legal tradition both at statutory and common law levels is summarized with application to the recent emergency contraception mandate. A case is made for a potential legal defense should a health care professional abstain from dispensing emergency contraception.