My roomie brought up a good point--what about condoms? I know, barrier methods don't count, but still--that prevents pregnancy too. Something tells me that neither condoms nor Viagra were intended to be included. Hmmm...why am I NOT surprised?
Basically, Bush and Leavitt have given all women a nice kick in the ovaries. I suppose it's only fair to give both men a good kick if I ever saw them on the street--it's certainly something I wish I could do right now.
what offends me the most about this entire deal is that it acts like every female who takes birth control is just some mindless slut. it completely ignores every other medical reason why someone would want/need it.
thanks government, for ensuring that females aren't allowed to get all uppity with our bodily autonomy.
@HuggaWugga: don't you know you are only allowed to have sex when your husband wants, and only for reproductive purposes?
any other reason is completely inexcusable, obviously.
sometimes i really think that the pro-life movement sees unwanted pregnancy as a justifiable punishment for sex outside of marriage, and it horrifies me to think about that.
@lmgives: That's what I was thinking. My old company represented a beast of a client, rhymes with Losanto, and I would like to be executivelly protected from having to work against my ethics.
I'm so fucking glad I have an IUD and not the pill. Where I live, I guarantee you that they'll be denying all sorts of stuff. I've had pharmacists look at me funny for prescriptions because of UTIs before.
@Miss Smith Drank Your Vodka: They can refuse to fill it, and they can decline to refer you to someone who will.
In addition, doctors can pass on writing you one, referring you to someone who will, and providing you with any information at all about treatments or procedures they find morally objectionable.
I knew about the other sick measures in play, but if some pharmacist ripped up the prescription I waited two hours to get, had cold prongs and a swab stuck in me for, and took off of work to get .... filling that prescription is the last of his/her worries.
According to the Wash Post story about this: "Catholic hospitals have refused to administer the morning-after emergency contraception pill, perform abortions or treat women having miscarriages."
Um, WTF? Women unfortunate enough to go to a Catholic hospital with a miscarriage will, what, have to bleed out in the cab trying to get to another hospital?
My head is pounding from all the contact with the keyboard.
@willwriteforfood: Wait, I'm confused. What sin has a miscarrying woman committed? Unless it's just the one that made god punish her with a miscarriage in the first place.
@missteenwordpower: I know, right? I'm unclear how a miscarriage is inherently immoral. Someone more familiar with Catholic teachings is going to have to explain this one to me.
Seriously late to the party here, but does this override preexisting state laws? I'm 99.9% sure my state requires pharmacies to dispense all prescribed drugs, regardless of any existing moral qualms.
Then again, it was just revealed that some of the hospitals in my state are refusing (supposedly were just ignorant of the law -- Catholic hospitals? uh, yeah.) to offer women Plan B after being raped, despite the fact that they're legally required to do so.
@disco.monkey: The rule has been published, which means that there is nothing that outside organizations can do (the time to register complaints with a proposed regulation is during the comment period, which has closed). If President Obama cannot overturn it by Executive Order, which is questionable, then the only body that can stop it from taking effect is Congress. Otherwise, it could take years for the Department of Health and Human Services to overturn it.
Can a Christian Scientist become a pharmacist and refuse to dispense ANY medication? It's part of their religion! And, hey, the word "Christian" is in it so it must be sacred!
This doesn't make sense on so many levels. I was arguing with a conservative pro-lifer about this, because last I checked, pharmacists are also required to follow the Hippocratic oath, where they cause harm to know one.
For women, virgins (or not), with ovarian cysts and endometriosis, the only way to prevent symptoms from worsening (minus a hysterectomy) is hormone therapy (a.k.a. the pill). If a pharmacist denies a woman this treatment, he or she is causing harm.
The conservative pro-lifer conceded that he and other Catholics had no problem with women taking birth control for these purposes. But how on earth can you verify what a birth control pill is for? Doesn't that violate doctor-patient confidentiality? Furthermore, don't they realize most gynecologists, who are much more invested in their patients than random pharmacists, would simply lie about the reason the pills are being administered? My gyno delivered me as a baby and he sure as shit would do whatever he could to ensure I had access to birth control for whatever reason he saw fit. My sister's gyno gives her a yearly supply of BC samples each yearly exam so she never has to pay for it. At least gynos are on our side.
But honestly, how are they going to regulate these questions? Denying a woman with ovarian cysts her hormone therapy is akin to denying a person with any other terminal condition the medicine they need to survive.
@angelina jolie-laide: Whoa, this "My gyno delivered me as a baby and he sure as shit would do whatever he could to ensure I had access to birth control for whatever reason he saw fit" should read "whatever reason *I* saw fit".
@angelina jolie-laide: My dermatologist has prescribed the pill to me at times, and currently I am working off an endocrinologist's prescription. I also use it to prevent pregnancy, but right now I am in an LDR, I only have sex once every six weeks, but I still take it. Would I be denies simply because I was trying to prevent pregnancy as one of the motivations to take it? And seriously, WHY IS ME HAVING SEX ONCE EVERY SIX WEEKS A THREAT TO ANYONE!?!!??
Putting this piece of shit into effect is a really, really, really STUPID idea. Have they even thought out the consequences at all?! I mean, REALLY. WHAT harm could POSSIBLY come from denying women of reproductive age access to/information about birth control. Nothing, right? Nope, can't think of anything.
If you American jezzies wanna come down here, you're more than welcome. Healthcare is free and everything has a English and French side*.
**Disclaimer: Our politics aren't as interesting as yours. We put a "u" in words like color and glamor. Basketball was invented here but somehow, we only have one team.
@StevieWonderWoman: Watching the clusterfuck that is American health care certainly makes me thankful to be living in Canada too.
YAY CHEAP BIRTH CONTROL! With no obvious moral judgement! And legal abortions! And free health care!
It makes me laugh when American politicians go on about how terrible public health care systems are and how they are socialist and evil... whatever, doodz, at least I don't have to pay out the nose to have life saving surgery or anything.
again, I keep bringing this up but mostly because I'm wondering why no one seems particularly outraged about it: Rick Warren thinks we ladies are like Hitler because we have committed a Holocaust on fetii, and come January 20th Obama wants him to speak for him because this is a land which respects difference. aye aye aye...
@PilgrimSoul: I can't decide if Obama is being a supreme master tactician by crowning a new kingpin in the evanglical movement, or if he's just too damned reaching out/symbolic gestures for his own good.
@whatsergem: I'm going for the latter, because a homophobic woman-hating torture apologist who concedes that not all poor people are going to hell for their lassitude is really not that much better than prior homophobic women hating torture apologists who do.
but what do I know? I am "over-critical of Obama."
@PilgrimSoul: I don't believe that you are being over-critical. I don't even live in America and I was dissappointed by that... It's kind of sad, since I was excited to see a reasonable man leading you guys for a change and now I'm a bit disillusioned. Surely there has to be SOMEONE ELSE to do the damn invocation thingy ma bobber?
@PilgrimSoul: @TurtleSpeak: Yup. I'm not in the States either, but I followed the election closely enough to know about Rick Warren. The rationale being used now is "but Warren and his wife are so much more 'liberal' than their counterparts (they faviur partnership but don't want the term 'marriage' used for gay unions), look how much they do for HIV/AIDS funding...". And that's where my head tilts to the side and my eyes narrow. "Cos you're talking about freaking right wing dingbat conservative rapture cuckoopeeps - I bet Osama could be liberal in that crowd.
On a whole other angle. I know the invocation at inauguration is by now tradition, but it still surprises me just how religious America is. You're installing the leader of the free world, leader of a supposed secular government. so what gives. All this religious genuflection, by right and left, seems to me like performance art more than anything else.
I think the boycott idea is an excellent one. If my rx was unwilling to dispense any medication THAT WAS FUCKING PRESCRIBED TO ME BY MY DOCTOR YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE, I'd be like, ok, I'm not ever coming back here. For anything, ever. I'll take my whorey lady business elsewhere. Some of you also mentioned that this "right to conscience" shite could very possibly spill over into other arenas, such as anti-depressants and vaccines. That possibility makes me shudder. How many of us would be absolutely fucked without proper medication? Really. I know I would be. Great, now something else to be anxious about. Thanks, republifucks!!
12/18/08
Basically, Bush and Leavitt have given all women a nice kick in the ovaries. I suppose it's only fair to give both men a good kick if I ever saw them on the street--it's certainly something I wish I could do right now.
12/18/08
12/18/08
thanks government, for ensuring that females aren't allowed to get all uppity with our bodily autonomy.
12/18/08
It's so counterintuitive--this is only going to lead to more abortions. Isn't that what they DON'T want?
12/18/08
any other reason is completely inexcusable, obviously.
sometimes i really think that the pro-life movement sees unwanted pregnancy as a justifiable punishment for sex outside of marriage, and it horrifies me to think about that.
12/18/08
So, if there is something I do not want to do at my JOB and I don't want to do it, does this mean I don't have to?
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
CAN THEY REALLY RIP UP MY/YOUR PRESCRIPTION???
12/18/08
In addition, doctors can pass on writing you one, referring you to someone who will, and providing you with any information at all about treatments or procedures they find morally objectionable.
Call your Members of Congress.
12/18/08
I knew about the other sick measures in play, but if some pharmacist ripped up the prescription I waited two hours to get, had cold prongs and a swab stuck in me for, and took off of work to get .... filling that prescription is the last of his/her worries.
12/18/08
Um, WTF? Women unfortunate enough to go to a Catholic hospital with a miscarriage will, what, have to bleed out in the cab trying to get to another hospital?
My head is pounding from all the contact with the keyboard.
12/18/08
12/19/08
12/18/08
Then again, it was just revealed that some of the hospitals in my state are refusing (supposedly were just ignorant of the law -- Catholic hospitals? uh, yeah.) to offer women Plan B after being raped, despite the fact that they're legally required to do so.
12/18/08
12/18/08
This must be overturned. Who do we contact?
12/18/08
12/18/08
[webapps.ama-assn.org]
12/18/08
12/18/08
ppl can also go to change.gov and tell Obama that you want him to repeal this.
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
For women, virgins (or not), with ovarian cysts and endometriosis, the only way to prevent symptoms from worsening (minus a hysterectomy) is hormone therapy (a.k.a. the pill). If a pharmacist denies a woman this treatment, he or she is causing harm.
The conservative pro-lifer conceded that he and other Catholics had no problem with women taking birth control for these purposes. But how on earth can you verify what a birth control pill is for? Doesn't that violate doctor-patient confidentiality? Furthermore, don't they realize most gynecologists, who are much more invested in their patients than random pharmacists, would simply lie about the reason the pills are being administered? My gyno delivered me as a baby and he sure as shit would do whatever he could to ensure I had access to birth control for whatever reason he saw fit. My sister's gyno gives her a yearly supply of BC samples each yearly exam so she never has to pay for it. At least gynos are on our side.
But honestly, how are they going to regulate these questions? Denying a woman with ovarian cysts her hormone therapy is akin to denying a person with any other terminal condition the medicine they need to survive.
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
THANK GAWD I LIVE IN CANADA.
THANK GAWD I LIVE IN CANADA.
THANK GAWD I LIVE IN CANADA.
If you American jezzies wanna come down here, you're more than welcome. Healthcare is free and everything has a English and French side*.
**Disclaimer: Our politics aren't as interesting as yours. We put a "u" in words like color and glamor. Basketball was invented here but somehow, we only have one team.
12/18/08
12/18/08
YAY CHEAP BIRTH CONTROL! With no obvious moral judgement! And legal abortions! And free health care!
It makes me laugh when American politicians go on about how terrible public health care systems are and how they are socialist and evil... whatever, doodz, at least I don't have to pay out the nose to have life saving surgery or anything.
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
again, I keep bringing this up but mostly because I'm wondering why no one seems particularly outraged about it: Rick Warren thinks we ladies are like Hitler because we have committed a Holocaust on fetii, and come January 20th Obama wants him to speak for him because this is a land which respects difference. aye aye aye...
12/18/08
12/18/08
but what do I know? I am "over-critical of Obama."
12/18/08
12/18/08
On a whole other angle. I know the invocation at inauguration is by now tradition, but it still surprises me just how religious America is. You're installing the leader of the free world, leader of a supposed secular government. so what gives. All this religious genuflection, by right and left, seems to me like performance art more than anything else.
12/18/08