In Lieu of the Googly Smackdown, I Present a Surprising Surprise
The Target Store I GO TO has actually fired someone for refusing to fill Plan B prescriptions.
This is good. I learned of this story over at Cecily’s, even though it’s in my neck of the woods. You can read the story HERE.
Apparently, this righteous woman, Heather Williams, has been refusing emergency contraception to women for the last five years without reprimand or incident. Even though she is supposed to refer women to another pharmacy, she refused.*
She blames Planned Parenthood for her firing, not Target.
Williams emphasized that she was blaming Planned Parenthood — not Target — for her predicament. She cites Planned Parenthood’s heightened national campaign to persuade major pharmacy chains such as Target to agree to fill emergency contraception.
The part I just adore is that Williams is concerned about her rights and actually compares it to women’s right to obtain EC.
Said Williams: “I’m not in judgment of anyone. I want my right not to fill something, much as they have their right to get Plan B filled.â€
Yet, she doesn’t seem to understand that she was grossly infringing on those other women’s rights which could, in fact, cause them to miss the deadline for EC and force them to undergo an unecessary abortion. She is not “saving babies” with her methodology, she is forcing women to put themselves at higher risk through a more complicated medical procedure. Additionally, EC doesn’t work solely by preventing implantation. Often, EC works by inhibiting ovulation, preventing conception in the first place.
Williams already has the right not to fill something, she can choose a different profession or choose to work in an institution that feels similarly to her views.
So, yay for Target.
Unfortunately, there is a kicker. You knew there would be a kicker. Because we are in Missouri and Matt “I Love Uteri, But Only Gestating Christian Uterti” Blunt is our governor.
Governor Matt Blunt is pushing for legislation that would give legal protection to pharmacists who refuse to fill emergency contraception prescriptions and any other prescription they feel is against their personal morals/beliefs. He is using this case as an example.
Williams plans to testify soon before a state legislative panel considering a bill to give legal protection to pharmacists who decline to fill a prescription for Plan B or any other drug they believe could cause an abortion. Gov. Matt Blunt says such legislation is among his top priorities.
He is not interested in giving such protection and insurances to women’s health, only the morally righteous are allowed to have their actions protected by law.
Thankfully, for today, Target is taking a good stance for women’s health by firing an employee who refused to care.
However, for all of you in Missouri, I urge you to write Governor Matt Blunt and demand that he value women’s health and women’s access to their prescriptions over high-handed morality. Demand that he care about Missouri’s women.
Click HERE to email Gov. Blunt.
*The referral idea is not an acceptable option. Women in Missouri and other states have bounced from pharmacy to pharmacy in search for someone to fill their damn emergency contraception. Demand that pharmacies fill your doctor’s prescription, as is.
Posted by Melissa on January 30th, 2006 under Flaming Ovaries
January 30th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
I HATE!! HHHHAAAAATTTTEEEEE Matt Blunt. He also tried to scrap First Steps because he’s a moron who didn’t do his homework and had no idea how valuable the program is for people. Assclown!
But yes, he is morally self-righteous isn’t he? Asshole!
Anyway… Good for Target. I love them even more now. (If that chick wants to do her little superiority dance regarding her beliefs, she should go work for Wal-Mart. A friend of mine who works as a pharmacists for Wal-Mart in Illinois says she has a coworker who refuses to fill them and gives people dirty looks over it. But although she’ll step in and fill it when she’s there.
January 31st, 2006 at 5:16 pm
I hate him, too! But someone, somewhere in all those rolling hills of Missouri spit out a wad of chew and voted for this assclown. I hate those people, too.
Have you read Twisty lately? She has a fabulous article on the HPV virus the allmighty righteous are trying to block because it cures cervical cancer. Because HPV is sexually-related and this virus would cure HPV 100%. And women shouldn’t really have sex. So, they deserve cancer? Asshats.