MercStay out of my uterus, pls kthx
September 8th 2008 19:35
"Welcome to Wendy's," the girl behind the register says smugly as the customer reviews the menu above the counter. "What can I get for you today?"
"Hi, I'd like a Baconator, large fries, and a large soda," says the customer.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can not serve you the Baconator. Perhaps you would like a nice healthy salad instead?" The cashier offers.
"Why can't I have the Baconator?" The confused customer inquires
"Well, sir," the cashier cooes, "I do not feel that eating helpless animals is right."
"What??"
"I'm a vegetarian, and I disagree with eating meat."
So tell me, readers, how does that little scenario grab you?
Do you agree with the statement that refusing to dispense prescribed birth control is the same thing as refusing to sell a customer a fat, greasy cheeseburger with bacon? Consuming burgers and using birth control are the same in that they are basic choices every American gets to make.
Or are they? Not anymore, as pharmacists now have protected "rights" that allow them to decide whether you or I get to pick up our prescription at our friendly neighborhood Walgreen's.
I presented this debate question to an internet message board (imb for future blogging purposes). I could almost see some (not all) of the individuals writhing in agony as they tried to explain why it's different. One said succintly, when asked why it is different, "Because one is meat and one is medication."
Um. Thanks?
Here's the thing. Bush decided, against what the public wanted, to go ahead with a new Health and Human Services regulation that blurs the line between birth control and abortion. I thought that line was pretty cut and dry: birth control prevents conception; abortion ends an already conceived pregnancy. Others beg to differ. And despite those others that beg to differ being in the minority, this regulation is set to go full steam ahead.
The regulation allows health care providers and pharmacists to refuse to prescribe and dispense birth control to a willing woman in full health.
According to politicalaffairs.net, a whopping 98% of women use some form of contraceptives at some point in their lives. 98%. That is a huge number to just ignore because the religious right feels they have a say in what goes on in my uterus. Have your beliefs, that's fine. But don't push your beliefs on my baby-maker.
I'm not a very big fan of Chigaco, but GO ILLINOIS for being the first state to rule that it is illegal to discriminate against women clients who sought to fill birth control prescriptions.
Common sense isn't so common. I mean, shouldn't be common sense that a pharmacist who feels it is against their beliefs to dispense birth control should not be a pharmacist. Hey vegetarians out there, would you work at Wendy's? Probably not (unless you absolutely had no other choice, right?). Why? Because it goes against your belief to eat something that is prevalent on the menu.
There are a multitude of medications prescribed to women that are not recommended if you are trying to concieve or if you're even in childbearing years. Do the pharmacists refuse to dispense those as well? I doubt it, but what do I know? It's already bad enough that more than half of the women in childbearing years prescribed medications that can cause birth defects are not being counseled on contraceptives. What happens when contraceptives are no longer available to those women at all? They then have no way to prevent a baby they may not want, but are subsequently forced to raise a baby that is born with birth defects because Big Brother won't let his little sisters make their own decisions.
"Hi, I'd like a Baconator, large fries, and a large soda," says the customer.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can not serve you the Baconator. Perhaps you would like a nice healthy salad instead?" The cashier offers.
"Why can't I have the Baconator?" The confused customer inquires
"Well, sir," the cashier cooes, "I do not feel that eating helpless animals is right."
"What??"
"I'm a vegetarian, and I disagree with eating meat."
So tell me, readers, how does that little scenario grab you?
Do you agree with the statement that refusing to dispense prescribed birth control is the same thing as refusing to sell a customer a fat, greasy cheeseburger with bacon? Consuming burgers and using birth control are the same in that they are basic choices every American gets to make.
Or are they? Not anymore, as pharmacists now have protected "rights" that allow them to decide whether you or I get to pick up our prescription at our friendly neighborhood Walgreen's.
I presented this debate question to an internet message board (imb for future blogging purposes). I could almost see some (not all) of the individuals writhing in agony as they tried to explain why it's different. One said succintly, when asked why it is different, "Because one is meat and one is medication."
Um. Thanks?
Here's the thing. Bush decided, against what the public wanted, to go ahead with a new Health and Human Services regulation that blurs the line between birth control and abortion. I thought that line was pretty cut and dry: birth control prevents conception; abortion ends an already conceived pregnancy. Others beg to differ. And despite those others that beg to differ being in the minority, this regulation is set to go full steam ahead.
The regulation allows health care providers and pharmacists to refuse to prescribe and dispense birth control to a willing woman in full health.
According to politicalaffairs.net, a whopping 98% of women use some form of contraceptives at some point in their lives. 98%. That is a huge number to just ignore because the religious right feels they have a say in what goes on in my uterus. Have your beliefs, that's fine. But don't push your beliefs on my baby-maker.
I'm not a very big fan of Chigaco, but GO ILLINOIS for being the first state to rule that it is illegal to discriminate against women clients who sought to fill birth control prescriptions.
Common sense isn't so common. I mean, shouldn't be common sense that a pharmacist who feels it is against their beliefs to dispense birth control should not be a pharmacist. Hey vegetarians out there, would you work at Wendy's? Probably not (unless you absolutely had no other choice, right?). Why? Because it goes against your belief to eat something that is prevalent on the menu.
There are a multitude of medications prescribed to women that are not recommended if you are trying to concieve or if you're even in childbearing years. Do the pharmacists refuse to dispense those as well? I doubt it, but what do I know? It's already bad enough that more than half of the women in childbearing years prescribed medications that can cause birth defects are not being counseled on contraceptives. What happens when contraceptives are no longer available to those women at all? They then have no way to prevent a baby they may not want, but are subsequently forced to raise a baby that is born with birth defects because Big Brother won't let his little sisters make their own decisions.
| 40 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
