The Wisconsin Legislature should quickly pass the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims bill that requires all hospitals -- without exceptions -- to give victims information and access to emergency contraception.

When taken within 12 to 72 hours after unprotected sex, the two-pill regimen called Plan B can reduce the chance of a pregnancy by 89 percent. Plan B, which has high doses of a hormone found in birth-control pills, prevents an egg from being fertilized.

The state Senate passed Senate Bill 129 in May by a wide, bipartisan margin of 27-6. Now the Assembly should pass the Senate version, rejecting an amendment that seriously weakens the bill.

An amendment attached by an Assembly committee would allow any hospital or hospital employee to avoid giving emergency contraception on religious and moral grounds.

Opponents of emergency contraception argue that its use is akin to abortion. But even the Wisconsin Catholic Conference has chosen not to oppose this humane bill.

The Assembly amendment should be thrown out because it greatly reduces easy access to emergency contraception, which is critical to its effectiveness. The sooner a woman takes Plan B, the better the pills work at preventing a pregnancy.

The exemption could force rape victims to look for another health care provider or pharmacy at a time of confusion and grief. For women in rural areas with few health care providers, this could require traveling a long distance to find Plan B.

It is sad that some Wisconsin hospitals have to be forced by the state to provide emergency contraception to rape and incest victims. About 42 percent of state hospitals that responded to a 2005-2006 survey said they did not unconditionally dispense emergency contraception to sexual assault victims.

Women in Wisconsin urgently need this legislation. A rape is reported every eight hours.

There were 1,143 forcible rapes reported in Wisconsin in 2005, according to the state 's Office of Justice Assistance. And many more rapes went unreported, law enforcement agencies suspect.

Nationally, about 8 percent of women who are raped become pregnant. Many of those unintended pregnancies can be prevented if emergency contraception is readily available at hospitals for those victims who want it.

Women and girls are already in pain, shock and fear after a brutal attack. They need good health care information and options, including emergency contraception.

The bipartisan effort to ensure compassionate care for rape victims deserves quick passage in the Assembly, where Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, has promised to allow a vote.

The bill -- without a giant loophole -- should draw support from across the political divide and become Wisconsin law.