Don't Even Think About Having Kids...
I saw a story on MSNBC last week that I couldn't beleive for the sheer lack of rational thought displayed by the people in it. Today, I read a Newsweek article that pretty much affirmed my disbelief. In a growing number of small towns in the United States, pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control. Under industry standards, pharmacists are free to refuse to a fill a prescription, but still have the oligation to refer that person to another pharmcacist. However, that referral process isn't happening either. (I guess socially conservative pharmacists only follow the rules they agree with.) This means that women in small communtities, which often only have 1 local pharmacy, are gradually losing control over their own bodies.
I am a strong advocate of personal autonomy & privacy. I am also a strong supporter of women's reproductive rights. That alone should make me upset about what's happening. However, the "sheer lack of rational thought" that I mentioned earlier refers to why these pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control. Their rationale isn't about promoting abstinence or keeping women in the home. Many pharmacists said that their refusal was out of "their moral opposition to taking another life." Keep in mind that they're NOT talking about abortion, they're talking about birth control. Apparently, these guys think that life doesn't start at conception. Rather, it starts when one thinks about the possibility of pregnancy. Ironically, these pharmamcists may be encourgaing abortion by not allowing women to prevent unwanted pregnancies via contraception or other forms of birth control.
Pesonally, I tend to think that a 35 year old woman who's married & already has 3 kids should be allowed to do what she wants w/ her life. If she wants to stop having kids & do other things instead, she should have the freedom of choice to do so, especially if it only involves taking a pill everyday. Calling that a taking of a life is an such a blatant example of ideology overcoming rational thought that calling it a "moral value" is an insult to those who truly have ethics.
I am a strong advocate of personal autonomy & privacy. I am also a strong supporter of women's reproductive rights. That alone should make me upset about what's happening. However, the "sheer lack of rational thought" that I mentioned earlier refers to why these pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control. Their rationale isn't about promoting abstinence or keeping women in the home. Many pharmacists said that their refusal was out of "their moral opposition to taking another life." Keep in mind that they're NOT talking about abortion, they're talking about birth control. Apparently, these guys think that life doesn't start at conception. Rather, it starts when one thinks about the possibility of pregnancy. Ironically, these pharmamcists may be encourgaing abortion by not allowing women to prevent unwanted pregnancies via contraception or other forms of birth control.
Pesonally, I tend to think that a 35 year old woman who's married & already has 3 kids should be allowed to do what she wants w/ her life. If she wants to stop having kids & do other things instead, she should have the freedom of choice to do so, especially if it only involves taking a pill everyday. Calling that a taking of a life is an such a blatant example of ideology overcoming rational thought that calling it a "moral value" is an insult to those who truly have ethics.
posted by Jeff at 12/04/2004 01:25:00 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for the comment Arthur. It's nice to know you read my stuff. You ask if we should require these pharmacists to sell birth control. But, isn't that what they're supposed to do anyways? After all, dispensing prescription drugs is what their job is, regardless of what that prescription is for. You say that a market correction will solve this problem. But this ignores 2 facts. First, many of these pharmacists seem to be willing to lose money to prove a point. Second, there are women that need their prescriptions now & forcing them to wait is infringing on their rights.
I'm not advocating for over-regulation. But, their own industry standards clearly states that they have an obligation to either fill the prescriptions or send these women to a phramacist that will. However, these pharmacists are doing neither & violating of their own rules. Maybe the industry should step in and take these guys to the woodshed. Where's the accountability?
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