On August 16, 2004, Wisconsin became the 21st state to require private-sector insurance coverage of prescription contraceptives. According to Wisconsin Attorney General Peggy A. Lautenschlager, the requirement "is aimed directly at correcting an inequity that, if left unchecked, will continue to compromise women's health-and women's right to equal health care."

The attorney general's opinion states that the failure of an employer or a state college or university to include contraceptive coverage in a benefit plan that covers other prescription drugs is a violation of state law prohibiting sex discrimination. It cites similar rulings under federal law by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and federal district court in Washington State.

To learn about the status of state contraceptive requirements, click here http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_ICC.pdf.

To read the text of the Wisconsin attorney general's opinion, click here http://www.doj.state.wi.us/ag/opinions/2004_08_16.asp.

To read about the history of the campaign to improve contraceptive coverage, click here http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/gr070206.html.

To read a recent study demonstrating the impact of state mandates on improving contraceptive coverage in the United States, click here http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3607204.html.

A summary of that study's findings and their implications can be found here http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/gr070204.html.

For more information about contraceptive coverage or The Alan Guttmacher Institute, please contact Leila Darabi at 212-248-1111, ext. 2216, or e-mail info at guttmacher.org. All current and archived articles can be downloaded from The Alan Guttmacher Institute's Web site, http://www.guttmacher.org.