The Regime

Call me paranoid, but this sort of thing disturbs me. The state has decided that private pharmacists MUST provide the "morning after" pill. Details about this drug is ambiguous, by which I mean I have seen conflicting reports about whether this in fact does procure an abortion post-conception. Note this article states that the drug does not affect a "pregnant woman" but does that necessarily imply implantation of the fertilized egg?

Either way, "Plan B" is NOT a medically necessary drug. And the government forcing private companies to provide controversial products such as this is a little frightening. What's next?

Why not force ALL OB-GYN's to perform abortions? Why not after all, it is a "lawful" procedure and ought to be available "regardless of an individual" OB-GYN's "personal objections to any particular" procedure.

Also note that our governor managed this "compromise" by threatening to replace the State Pharmacy Board members who previously had stood up for pharmacists rights. Something tells me a different executive officer would not have fared well under a media onslaught after such a threat.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Plan B® contains a dose of the hormone levonorgestrel that is higher than in a single birth control pill. Levonorgestrel has been used in birth control pills for more than 35 years. Plan B® works like a birth control pill to prevent pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary. It is possible that Plan B® may also work by preventing fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg) or by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb), which usually occurs beginning 7 days after release of an egg from the ovary. Plan B® will not do anything to a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus. The pregnancy will continue.
fdj said…
Wow...do you work for Duramed Pharmaceuticals?

Prevention of a fertilized egg from implanting is abortion, IMHO. I wouldn't sell it.
Anonymous said…
James, this brings up a question I have that maybe you can answer. The regular ol' Pill works the same way that anonymous states - i.e. it's secondary mechanism is to keep the fertilized egg from implanting if breakthrough ovulation occurs (which I have read to be anywhere to 2-16% of the time). So why do pro-lifers get so up in arms about Plan B, but not about the Pill that so many women, including pro-life, Christian women, are on? And, the IUD does the same thing, I believe whether it is hormonal or copper. Is there a difference that I just haven't figured out yet?

My uncle is a phamacist, and I remember when his eldest daughter was engaged she brought the insert from a package of Pills and asked him if the drugs in them could possibly cause an early abortion. He looked at it and said that it absolutely could.

You know, I'm dating a biochemist, and I live with a pro-life pharmaco-geneticist. I should have them look this stuff up.
Anonymous said…
If you think that Plan B is an method of abortion, then you must also be against the following forms of birth control:

1. Oral Contraceptives (see Arielle comments)
2. Any other hormone based contraceptive (norplant, the ring, etc.)
2. IUD's of various kinds

And if that is the case, then why are you not against pharmacys providing birth control pills (which I am fairly certain they are required to carry)?
fdj said…
You guys - particularly ANON - are missing my point entirely....I am not for or against pharmacies carrying ANYTHING....rather what I AM for is a pharmacist or the owner of a drug store deciding for him or herself what they will offer to sell on their shelves or behind their counter. Yes, let capitalism do the work here...if one store refuses to carry the drug another will, may the best store win.

If a devout Roman Catholic owns a drug store and refuses to sell ANY form of birth control then I absolutely uphold their right to do so and I think it is a travesty for Christine Gregoire to say and impose otherwise.

That being said, lets not try and play silly moral equivalence games here. Yes, any form of birth control that prevents a fertilized egg from implantation is a form of abortion. Okay? I've nailed my colors to the mast. I mean what did you expect to find me an ignorant hypocrite?

I don't care if pharmacies want to carry it...but I care A LOT if the government starts dictating what morals we may hold to as private individuals.
Anonymous said…
James,

does that mean that roe v wade is just about birth control? Wasn't Birth Control legal prior to the decision?

ducking -

sf

Btw, re the govt. control. Really, they do it all the time, that's what the "law" is all about. Regulating behaviour regardless of what a person may believe about it.

Incidently, it's also what civil disobedience is all about.

Ultimatly I think this is a crass political move Mistress Christine's part. Some court somewhere is going to affirm the right of a shop owner to not sell stuff.

sfmjaga
fdj said…
Arielle...

I really am not able to tell you much about the relationship between Plan B and standard BCP. As I said in the post, I've heard conflicting arguments about whether Plan B is an "abortion pill".

While I am definitely a pro-lifer I'm not going to argue too much about the legality of these and other drugs that MIGHT cause abortions. I mean, you can have a full blown abortion legally after all.

Please see my point as I noted above: I'm very much a libertarian on such issues. Privately owned businesses should be allowed to conduct their businesses as they see fit - particuarly within the bounds of their own morality...within reason of course. The notion that birth control...particularly emergency types...is a medical necessity is just plainly insidious.
fdj said…
does that mean that roe v wade is just about birth control? Wasn't Birth Control legal prior to the decision?

Count me clueless...no need to duck...I miss the point sir.

Btw, re the govt. control. Really, they do it all the time, that's what the "law" is all about. Regulating behaviour regardless of what a person may believe about it.

Of course they do it all the time, but to what degree? There is SOME line they cannot cross, right?

Obviously I think this goes too far. How about my example of ALL OB-GYN's being forced to offer abortions. Or better yet, how about that obscure and little know Orthodox gay group "axios" is someday down the road able mount enough political capitol to sue the GOA to give them weddings.

At what point does our Church behavior (e.g. banning gays from receiving the sacrament of marriage) need to be regulated by the government?

Forcing people to provide items they find morally repugnant is a great place to start down that road. As far as I'm concerned you might as well force Pete of Uncle Peteza to sell porn. After all Porn addicts have rights too.

ah, now I'm just gettin weekend crazy.

Some court somewhere is going to affirm the right of a shop owner to not sell stuff.

Hope so....sad though that someone will have to go through all that trouble to do it.
Anonymous said…
James,

The point is that a lot more people get riled up about an abortion discussion than they do about a birth control discussion. That's why it was so stinking easy for Mistress Christine to lay the smack down on the poor pharmisists.

Fundamentally, Arial is right, many forms of birth control are in fact abortifacients. It's the emotional issues involved in those two ideas which are a different.

Duramed has done a FABULOUS job of marketing this drug as birth control, not abortion on demand. Anon's post shows that in spades. Could have been written by Duramed. Look at what the name of the drug says about it too.

When it comes to the rights of contientious objectors to Gov't policy, we have no rights that we're not willing to die for. It's entirely possible that the govt to say that our stance on gay marrige is a violation of civil rights. If enough pepople agree w/ axios... We might find out what freedom's really all about.
Anonymous said…
I understand your point, and I agree. I wasn't suggesting pharmacies shouldn't carry the Pill or should carry Plan B, I've just never figured out what the difference was. I feel like there must be something I'm missing.

I'll let you know if I figure it out.
Anonymous said…
I have a question - where does an egg get fertilized? I always assumed it was in transit between release and implantation. Also that implantation didn't occur if there was no fertilization.


sf
Anonymous said…
I've dispensed Plan B a number of times. The only thing about it that makes one's eyes roll is when it is obviously Plan F,G,H...Q,R,S,T. That is, it isn't exactly the *first* "oops" that has happened. Other pharmacists have noticed that it has been intended as Plan A; given for Valentine's Day. Touching. I am glad some folks aren't reproducing, frankly. Someone earlier pointed out that this has beeb around for at least 20+ years; a doctor would merely write a prescription of a type of BCP, and instruct the patient to take several all at onece. No one was any the wiser, and by the way, it likely cost less than the brand drug Plan B! -- Ba'ab
fdj said…
I'm often torn between the death of innocent human life and the peace in knowing that those who fight so vehemently to end such life are not reproducing. Truly a moral dilemma.

One wonders how we can look upon Spartan society with such disdain...we've just cleaned up and sterilized our infanticide and furthermore do it NOT for the betterment of society, but usually the for the convenience of self.

I would imagine dosing up on BCP would make it FAR more likely to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting and really what IS the time frame for fertilization post-coitus? Minutes? Hours? Days? I dunno.

Seems to me though if you are working Plan B you are CERTAINLY upping the odds that you'll be doing more than preventing ovulation.

More and more I find myself in line with the strict Catholic understanding...easy for me though as I've finalized - I think - my child bearing ventures.

Worrying about what evangelical pro-lifers think and worry about is off my radar. As you all know my new convert kneejerks to hold their positions in some form of lofty derision has also since left.

Really, protesting pro-lifers ought to also be protesting invitro fertilization which often leads to many embryos being killed through the process or - if congress gets their way - farmed out to be experimented upon.
The Traveler said…
If you need a ray of hope in this its the use of force. That pro-abortion folks are increasingly trying to use the "force card" if you will to mandate pharmacies supplying drugs or that hospitals provide abortion training to maintain accreditation is a sign they have lost the ability to morally convince and have no other choice. Its the first sign of a dying movement.

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