Drugstore discrimination: Anti-birth control pharmacists

[rodeodance]

I got this as an email today:
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Drugstore discrimination: Anti-birth control pharmacists
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 23:17:57 +0000 (GMT)
From: NARAL Pro-Choice America <[e-mail]>
To: xxxx


June 2005
Pharmacists for Life's Karen Brauer...
Dispensing drugstore discrimination

Over the last months we've talked a lot about the radical right's latest ploy to block women's access to birth control by urging pharmacists to refuse women's prescriptions. But just what is the other side saying? It might surprise you how rabidly they attack women's (apparently unreasonable) request for medical privacy, rights, and dignity in the pharmacy. But don't take our word for it -- read on...

What they're saying...
Here's what anti-choice activist Karen Brauer, president of Pharmacists for Life, has to say about your right to doctor-prescribed birth-control:

* On the fight against "radical feminazis" -- that is, women trying to get birth control: Pharmacists for Life helps: "Pharmacists of Conscience who find themselves under attack by legal and judicial mechanisms, employers, fellow employees, the left, and radical feminazis..."

* On the helpful lecture she offers women asking for a birth control prescription. "I'd work on them every month. I'd say, 'Hey, when are you going to get off the pill?' "

* On her apparent pleasure in dispensing Viagra. "I helped a whole lot of old married men get lucky!"

And last, but certainly not least:

* On Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's recent order requiring pharmacists to fill birth control prescriptions (and his Serbian heritage). "Governor 'Slobodan' Blagojevich refuses to back down... Hiz Honor continues to show a despotic disrespect for the law and freedom of religion and conscience, as did his "namesake" who is up for war crimes following ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Heczegovina. The Guv would love to cleanse IL of any pharmacists who still have a conscience, or so it seems!"

This is the movement we are up against. They revel in throwing racist barbs and harassing women customers. Don't let them have the last word. Get involved in our campaign to ensure that women get their birth control prescriptions filled -- without hassles, without delays, and without intimidation.

And then check out our progress below...

Birth control milestone marks the latest in our pharmacy campaign
On June 7, thousands of pro-choice Americans across the country marked the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized birth control for married couples by joining our pharmacy campaign. To honor the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut decision, we asked pro-choice Americans to get their pharmacies to pledge to fill all prescriptions and to thank pharmacists who support women's access to birth control. Our campaign is especially important right now when as many as 20 states allow pharmacies to refuse to fill women's prescriptions for birth control, including the morning-after pill.

How you can keep the campaign going
The Griswold anniversary may have passed, but our fight for fair access to birth control has only just begun -- we need you to get involved, too! This week, take just 15 minutes to get involved:

1. Ask your pharmacist to sign our pledge that his or her pharmacy will support the decisions made by women and their doctors and will fill all birth control prescriptions. Click here to get started.

2. Make sure they have a poster for their window that lets their customers know their pharmacy respects women's decisions and will honor all prescriptions. Click here.


Prevention First
Improve Health Care Services for Rape Victims
If you believe that helping women who've been raped prevent pregnancy is more important than right-wing ideology, we need your help immediately. Help pass the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act (H.R.2928) by sending a message to your Member of Congress today. This bill would ensure that hospital emergency rooms provide sexual-assault victims upon request with the morning-after pill -- which prevents pregnancy after sex or sexual assault. Click here to get started taking action today.



Choice in the News
THE GOOD: No confirmation 'til Crawford addresses EC... Lester Crawford is up for confirmation as the head of the FDA, but his tenure as acting FDA commissioner is stained by the disturbing trend of putting politics over science and public health. But never fear -- Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have pledged to hold up his confirmation until the FDA rules on an application to make the morning-after pill available without a prescription. The FDA's own medical and scientific experts support over-the-counter access. Urge your senators to oppose his nomination, too, by taking action today.

THE BAD: Ohio and sex ed... A Case Western University report just confirmed our worst suspicions: your tax dollars are going to "abstinence-only" programs that teach false information about birth control, STDs, and abortion to Ohio students. Among other things, these programs overstate the failure rates of condom use, blame contraceptives for poor mental health among youths and erroneously suggest that birth control pills could make young women infertile. Get the full story here.

THE UGLY: Owen, Brown and Pryor confirmed... The radical right scored a major victory with the confirmation of three of President Bush's most conservative nominees to lifetime positions on the federal bench: Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and Bill Pryor. Now these three judges, who represent the worst examples of conservative judicial activism, will get to rule on cases that affect the lives of countless Americans. Get the whole story here.


Heroes and Zeroes

HEROES OF THE MONTH:
Senators Murray and Clinton
Lester Crawford's nomination to head up the FDA proves that the radical right doesn't JUST want to control the federal bench -- they want right-wing activists to be positioned in government agencies as well. Thankfully we have Senators Patty Murray and Hillary Clinton to stand up for the rest of us who expect a little more. For vowing to block Crawford's confirmation until he addresses the Bush administration's disturbing record of letting politics trump science -- Senators Murray and Clinton are our heroes of the month. Help them block Crawford by clicking here.

ZERO OF THE MONTH:

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney

Since 1994, Massachusetts politician Mitt Romney has wooed the pro-choice voters of his state by claiming he supports efforts to keep abortion ''safe and legal in this country." So why has he earned Zero of the Month? Because after nearly four years as governor, Mr. Romney is changing his tune in a desperate ploy to attract conservative voters for a potential 2008 presidential bid. In a recent USA Today interview he indicated he is "'in a different place' on abortion than at the time of his first run." He has also pulled references to Roe v. Wade from his speeches and veered ever right-ward on issues like the morning-after pill and abstinence-only programs.

For playing politics at a time when pro-choice Americans need to find common ground in order to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion, Governor Romney's maneuvering earns him the disappointing honor of Zero of the Month. Get the whole story here.

© 2005 NARAL Pro-Choice America. NARAL Pro-Choice America is a non-profit organization.
We do not sell e-mail addresses. All rights reserved.

[cynatnite]

1. Women who want birth control are feminazis??

:wtf:

Sorry, I just couldn't get past that.

[Cassandra]

2. Same here.

That was just jaw-dropping. :wow:

[Initech]

3. So they dont want to dispense birth control, yet...

They are proud to dispense what are commonly referred to as "boner pills"?

Oh man, this is a Supreme Court case waiting to happen.

[Vladimir]

4. I think Governer Blagojevich is doing his ancestors proud,

which is more than can be said of anti-choice reactionary scumbags. Karen Brauer should not be allowed to be a pharmacist IMO...

[DemGirl7]

5. What about those who get prescribed birth control for other reasons?

I mean, I know Docotors put people on birth control for other reasons than birth control itself...their rights are getting taken away too, I sick of these assholes, these people really need to mind their own fucking busy, because Just because your anti-birth control, doesn't mean everyone else is.

[KarenInMA]

6. WRITE TO THE COMPANIES!!!

I wrote to CVS, Ekerds, Walmart and Walgreens to tell them how I feel and only CVS wrote back.

I then sent a letter to CVS and cc'd it to the others, stating my intention to ONLY shop at CVS. I listed the items I buy:

Prescriptions
Shampoo
Conditioner
Contact Stuff
Advil
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Tampons
Condoms (well, I wish)
Hair product for curly hair
Hair product for straight hair (a girl needs options)
Toothpaste
Razors

etc etc. My list was very, very long, put you get the point.

DO THIS!! See where you should be spending your money. ESPECIALLY if you are a girl, as these places see girls as their target market

[KarenInMA]

7. Ekerds=Eckerd

new here. missed spell check :(

[Ripley]

8. FEMINAZIS FEMINAZIS FEMINAZIS...

How nice of them to want to kill me since I take BCP for a life threatening illness.

I seriously think they have done something to these women who go along with this misogynistic thinking. They have either beaten them into submission or raped them as children.

Otherwise, we normal women are totally fucked. Our enemies are growing.

[KarenInMA]

10. Move to a better state.

Come here. You can't afford to buy and the traffic is horrid, but women's rights are sacrosanct.


Only half kidding.

[Ripley]

12. Oh, I personally don't have a problem getting my meds.

And I live in the heart of Dixie. But the minute I do get turned down for my prescription I will be on local fucking TV loud and clear!

Move to a better state? Are you kidding? Poor folks can't move. Why should they bear the brunt of these Dark Ages Nutjobs?

[KarenInMA]

14. On moving

I'm kidding, sort of.

I live in the best state in the country. That isn't being snobby, I think everyone should say that. If you don't love love love your state...leave it. I understand the ecomomic ramifications, but still- if you are unhappy that should be your goal.

I wasn't born here. I was just lucky enought to find it and fall in love with My City.

[Ripley]

15. I noticed you don't list it in your profile...

But regardless of where your city is you love so much... Welcome to DU!

However, my friend, you are misguided. Americans should be free in every square inch of the USA. And some of us have family, jobs and other reasons that we enjoy living where we do.

But back to my main point...this will once again harm the poor. Why should poor people pay the price of religious discrimination? And it is not a goal for someone who can't even afford a vacation, to move to a pretty blue liberal area where they couldn't even afford a closet.

[KarenInMA]

16. Ahh..profile?

I live in Boston.

I know you can't all move here, you will drive property prices even HIGHER. Don't!! :P

And I know that you cannot and should not move. This is why I fight for national politics. Because of other people. I am a rather well off young woman, with no kids and no plan for them, in a very very blue state. All these horrible things that Bush does? Doesn't really effect me.

But the point is, this is MY country, and NO ONE should have to deal with this third world talibornagain crap. NO.One.

And I will KEEP ON Fighting until I am happy with my country.

Thank you for your welcome. I;ve lurked here for almost a year, but someone posted something about my horrible pigf*cking gov, and I registered just to respond!! (that's probably not fair to the pig. I take that back).

[Ripley]

17. Okey dokey then.

But you said if you don't love love love your state you should leave.

And that is a fantasy.

Glad you logged in Karen! :hi:

[stanwyck]

9. I've already chronicled my daughter's

problems with picking up her birth control pills at Eckerds. (she's 21 but looks younger -- very petite). The pharmacist intervened when she was paying the clerk for the prescription which had been called in earlier. He asked to see her driver's license and asked her questions about her age, whether she knew the risks, if her parents were aware of her activities. She was humiliated. There was a girl she'd gone to high school working there. The drugstore is in our neighborhood. We complained to Eckerds. Nothing.
Needless to say, we don't shop there anymore.
The CVS is closer and the pharmacists do their jobs: fill prescriptions.

[Ripley]

11. Good for you and your daughter.

However, poor women, women in rural areas and those who don't have the option of going somewhere else are screwed by this.

This is an outrage dammit! Pharmacists, school boards, judges, ... these Talibornagains have no damn right in a Free country to dictate their closed minded views upon the rest of society. They are holding the least amongst us hostage.

Calling Doctor Dean! Address this shit NOW!

[KarenInMA]

13. Eckerds

I wrote to Eckerds and they didn't write back. I told them I was done with them, and they didn't write back. F them. CVS rocks, AND gives you little coupons!

[NMMNG]

18. I'm so tired of these fools who use their workplaces as pulpits

Just do your freaking job and save the proselytising for your personal time!:grr: