The Missouri House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass an amendment to SB296 to protect pharmacies that refuse to fill prescription or sell over-the-counter medication to women seeking birth control.
Representative Cynthia Davis went so far as to accuse anyone opposing the amendment of being an anti-American communist. (Note: I am not making this up and I’m not overacting, check it out). I find it ironic that Rep. Davis feels that businesses should have choice as to what products to stock but that women should not have choice over their reproductive health issues…health issues that may have even been discussed with a doctor! She believes that the businesses right to chose the products they stock trumps the choice of a women carrying out her right to healthcare!
Anti-choice legislators continue to treat birth control and abortion as one and the same. It’s hard to believe that these legislators still don’t understand that birth control prevents pregnancy while abortion terminates a pregnancy. Please join me in contacting your legislator and inform them that they need to educate themselves regarding reproductive health and biology. This vote for pharmacy denial amendment was a vote against access to basic health care for Missouri women.
Once again, Missouri legislators are indulging in public displays of their wrong priorities at the expense of women’s rights to basic health care. Despite facing a serious budget crisis and growing unemployment, the leadership of the Missouri House is still chasing the wrong priorities. Please let your legislator know that Missourians don’t need them to restrict access to birth control.
(Some content of this post is taken from a Planned Parenthood email)
Showing posts with label EC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EC. Show all posts
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
More on EC and Rape Survivors
Now that we have educated ourselves a bit regarding EC in the last post, did you know that many hospitals do not provide EC as an option to rape survivors! Why is that? Why doesn’t emergency room staff discuss it or at least inform the woman of the option?
It seems that many of the hospitals that refuse to even discuss or provide Plan B are religious hospitals, such as Catholic hospitals. But it has been reported in other hospitals as well. It seems that morality is the reasoning behind not providing and/or not discussing EC.
A rape survivor has a lot of things on her mind and she ought to at least be able to weigh all of her options and act on them, to include information and the use of EC if she chooses. Many times, bills have been filed on the national level to make hospitals provide the option and the medication if the rape survivor chooses to take EC. Each time the bill never passes. Why is this? My searches come up empty. I'm guessing it is the power of the religious right? Some states have been successful in passing bills in their own state, such as Washington and Ohio.
If you would like to see a change on a federal level to end this kind of oppression, you may learn more at NARAL.
It seems that many of the hospitals that refuse to even discuss or provide Plan B are religious hospitals, such as Catholic hospitals. But it has been reported in other hospitals as well. It seems that morality is the reasoning behind not providing and/or not discussing EC.
A rape survivor has a lot of things on her mind and she ought to at least be able to weigh all of her options and act on them, to include information and the use of EC if she chooses. Many times, bills have been filed on the national level to make hospitals provide the option and the medication if the rape survivor chooses to take EC. Each time the bill never passes. Why is this? My searches come up empty. I'm guessing it is the power of the religious right? Some states have been successful in passing bills in their own state, such as Washington and Ohio.
If you would like to see a change on a federal level to end this kind of oppression, you may learn more at NARAL.
Pardon Me, Do You Carry EC?
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding EC (emergency contraception). EC is sometimes known as “the day after pill”. The brand name is called “Plan B”. EC is NOT an “abortion pill”. EC is simply another type of birth control. It is FDA approved and can be purchased over the counter. You don’t need a prescription, but you do need an ID. You must be 18 years old to purchase the medication. If younger, you can obtain the drug with a prescription.
EC is a responsible way to prevent pregnancy (and abortions). Sometimes things just happen such as forgetting to take your regular birth control pill, the condom breaks, date rape, you realize you made a big mistake, etc. Sometimes you need a Plan B.
In order to be effective, EC may be used up to 120 hours after having sex, the sooner the better! Plan B basically works like a typical birth control pill, only it is a larger dose of hormone. It stops ovulation which prevents fertilization. Again, this is not the abortion pill or RU-486, which is only administered after a pregnancy has been established…that’s not what we are talking about here.
EC is a wonderful thing if women can purchase the drug and do so in the short amount of time necessary. The last couple of years it has been a fight for women to obtain the medication. In Maloney’s book , she gives specific examples of women being turned away when trying to obtain the medication. Even one rape survivor could not obtain EC and had to have her physician obtain it for her. Remember, time is of the essence here. Maloney also illustrates in her book the case regarding Wal-Mart in which the big business was eventually forced to provide the product.
Unfortunately, under the law, pharmacists can still not provide Plan B claiming moral reasons. But, they must refer a woman to another pharmacy that does provide Plan B. It is my understanding that the referral doesn’t always happen and many women don’t realize that the pharmacist is obligated to provide the referral.
We must be vigilant regarding all of our health care needs. So I called my pharmacy to make certain that they do provide Plan B. The Walgreens here in Springfield carries Plan B in all of their stores. I thanked them for it. I also called the Wal-Mart on Independence. They also carry Plan B in that Wal-Mart and all of their other Springfield stores. Again, I thanked them for it. I suggest you do the same and only support pharmacies that meet all of our health care needs.
EC is a responsible way to prevent pregnancy (and abortions). Sometimes things just happen such as forgetting to take your regular birth control pill, the condom breaks, date rape, you realize you made a big mistake, etc. Sometimes you need a Plan B.
In order to be effective, EC may be used up to 120 hours after having sex, the sooner the better! Plan B basically works like a typical birth control pill, only it is a larger dose of hormone. It stops ovulation which prevents fertilization. Again, this is not the abortion pill or RU-486, which is only administered after a pregnancy has been established…that’s not what we are talking about here.
EC is a wonderful thing if women can purchase the drug and do so in the short amount of time necessary. The last couple of years it has been a fight for women to obtain the medication. In Maloney’s book , she gives specific examples of women being turned away when trying to obtain the medication. Even one rape survivor could not obtain EC and had to have her physician obtain it for her. Remember, time is of the essence here. Maloney also illustrates in her book the case regarding Wal-Mart in which the big business was eventually forced to provide the product.
Unfortunately, under the law, pharmacists can still not provide Plan B claiming moral reasons. But, they must refer a woman to another pharmacy that does provide Plan B. It is my understanding that the referral doesn’t always happen and many women don’t realize that the pharmacist is obligated to provide the referral.
We must be vigilant regarding all of our health care needs. So I called my pharmacy to make certain that they do provide Plan B. The Walgreens here in Springfield carries Plan B in all of their stores. I thanked them for it. I also called the Wal-Mart on Independence. They also carry Plan B in that Wal-Mart and all of their other Springfield stores. Again, I thanked them for it. I suggest you do the same and only support pharmacies that meet all of our health care needs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
