Bush Still Trying to Sneak in "Conscience Law"

Rachel Maddow had a great segment on this, the discussion on the topic starts at about 1 minute and 37 seconds. She touches on the fact that this legislation would also give ANY worker the option to refuse to participate in "objectionable actions", which would of course mean abortion (which is legal), but also make it possible to allow doctors, nurses, orderlies, the billing staff at a hospital or medical center - ANYONE who works at a medical facility which receives federal funding - to refuse to serve you or even provide information and advice.

Her guest also points out that this could affect other procedures such as anesthesia, blood transfusions, etc.



And, just in case you think "Yeah, but who would actually refuse to serve a woman who just wants to buy birth control?" and conclude that this is just about far left liberals freaking out, check out this story about a Walgreens in Oxford, Mississipi that harassed a woman who wanted to buy Plan B, which is sold to any woman age 18 or over who can display a valid ID.

The pharmacy worker and the pharmacist both asked her for additional information, which they aren't supposed to, and then stated they have a policy of supplying adoption information and making the customer wait an hour. They also wrote down her drivers license number, which they had no legitimate need to do. When I bought Plan B (almost a year ago), I was asked to show ID to prove I was 18 or over, which is in accordance with the law, and then discreetly supplied with Plan B in a pharmacy prescription bag (which was a nice touch, so everyone in line wouldn't know my personal business). Simple as that. (Coincidentally, I saw the kind pharmacist that waited on me that day at my polling place on Election Day, and smiled at him. I was very glad to see that a pharmacist who respects women's rights to have control over their own reproductive health took the time to vote). I was VERY stressed out at the time that I needed to buy Plan B (yeah, worrying about an unwanted pregnancy will do that to you) and the last thing I needed was a total stranger refusing to do their job and trying to force their personal opinions on me.

And the 1 hour wait - that's ridiculous, and as any gynecologist will tell you, the sooner you take Plan B, the higher the chance it will be effective in preventing pregnancy. Even one hour can lower those chances significantly.

Here is the info for contacting Walgreens if you want to let them know your feelings on this situation:

You can contact the Oxford Walgreens at (662) 513-0894. You can also call the corporate offices and tell them that store number 7757 is harassing women trying to buy Plan B. You can also call them at (877) 250-5823 and ask about their company policy regarding birth control and how they make sure that their pharmacists aren't denying women medication.