OT Birth Control

[WrensMom]

This entire topic makes me nuts. I think I did hear that the state of Illinois passed a law that makes it illegal for a pharmacist to refuse to dispense a prescription, though. Kudos to them!

[DrBee]

I received my petition in the mail today!

[Deanna]

If a pharmacists do not want to dispense medications, they should not accept the paycheck from the employer who hired them to dispense medications. Problem solved.

The employers are allowing individual pharmacists to make their own decisions.

[btchance]

Personally, I find this all ridiculous. During the birth control lecture we had, the doctor went out of her way to point out to us that just because we can prescribe the morning after pill to our patients doesn't equal them being able to get it filled. Apparently there are only 2-3 pharmacies in Birmingham that will give it out, which is just horrific.

As a side note, what the doctors are taught about birth control is not exactly the same as what the pharmacists are taught. Our lecturer went through a number of "myths" about birth control and side effects, then when I mentioned these to a friend who just graduated from pharmacy school, guess what? She was taught that all these "myths" were true! So which one is right? I sure don't know. I do know that everyone should have access to birth control and the morning after pill. Anything less is wrong for the woman, her partner, and any future children she may have because she was unable to prevent it. This sort of thing should never happen, in my opinion.

[Kitsune06]

What horrified me today was my ex husband emailing me today in a tizzy because apparently in addition to this, abortions have been banned in S. Dakota. Is that true? I didn't think Roe v. Wade etc could be overturned in such a way- that an individual state could make a ban like that...

Oh. Here we go.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/06/sd.abortion/

Weirder things have happened of late.
Your rights are on the line... better darned well sign that petition if you believe in these rights... too many people let this stuff slide.

[crazycanuck]

I know i'm an outsider in all this but would like to state how it looks from outside the USA. I keep reading about items such as this and wonder how can people actually accept it? What's happening in the USA guys??? Is it the ' Big Kahuna's believers" making waves?

Reading your posts gives me some relief as i was under the impression most americans agree with the changes. I wasnt' sure if anyone was actually standing up & saying " oi what the(((( do you think you're doing" !

As kitsune said, sign the petition if you can.

Australia & NZ have encountered similar problems-The Australian Federal health Minister tried to ban RU486 but that didn't work...

c

[Aggie_Ama]

I read a horrifying article in a magazine that one woman was refused the morning after pill at a hospital after being raped. She stated refusing the pill was refusing a victim of rape the right to heal. I believe she said she was anti-abortion but would never consider carrying a rapist's baby.

This whole debate completely freaks me out and angers me. As many have said, a lot of people take birth control for things other than birth control. And what drug is next? Would we get someone on a Tom Cruise-like crusade against anti-depressants refusing those? Would someone refuse my anti-convulsants because I could learn to manage my movement disorder naturally? I had one kooky neurologist tell me I was experiencing a lot of side effects from one medicine and would benefit from the power and strength of prayer. And once I found those I would find the drugs unnecessary. I do pray and believe, yet I was still shaking and depressed to boot!

[Saxa82]

What's even freakier, but just as morally wrong, is that most insurance companies in the US will not cover prescription birth control methods. But does anyone kow if BC pills are covered under insurance plans if they are used off-schedule, that is for purposes such as peri-menopausal hormone therapy or other reasons such as have been described by other women on this thread?

[Pyannyplayer]

My insurance is covering mine and I'm not taking them for birth control. Still, I have to spend $10 every three weeks for them. Oh well. I told my husband that if he felt like it, he could call me hormonal any time he wanted - because it will be true (He wouldn't do that, though, because he's a wonderful man )

Lorie

[SalsaMTB]

My insurance covers it as long as I use mail order. I use it for, well, birth control! DH and I are not ready for babies yet!

[DebW]

What horrified me today was my ex husband emailing me today in a tizzy because apparently in addition to this, abortions have been banned in S. Dakota. Is that true? I didn't think Roe v. Wade etc could be overturned in such a way- that an individual state could make a ban like that...

I thought this happened several months ago. Did the governor just now sign it, or am I thinking of another state? There is a referendum going on the November ballot in SD to repeal the anti-abortion law. Hopefully the people will undo what their idiotic legislature has done. I believe that the law cannot be enforced now since it conflicts with Roe v Wade, but sets up a court challenge that some hope will overturn Roe (given Bush's recent Supreme Court appointments). This is why it's so important to fight for fair Supreme Court nominees (not to mention the guy who appoints them).

[mimitabby]

Planned Parenthood is one of the charities i donate to. The united states is being steered by a religious extreme which is almost as extreme as the Al Quaeda guys.
Most Americans are not happy about this..

[Lenusik]

All these bans and anti-abortion laws make me sick. I've on BC pills for two years before we decided to have a baby. And it made our lives so much mor comfortable. But with all these regulations, can you imagine how many women will suffer. How many of them will hurt themselves because someone refused them a next morning pill? How many will by drugs illegally? How many will go to other countries to get what they rightfully should get? Will these state and nation governments ever understand what they are doing?

[chickwhorips]

thats the scary thing. there is going to be alot of "bootleg pills" out there if places won't fill the Rx. the price is high anyhow if you don't have insurance for a pack of pills and will only go up if people can't get them filled.

when i was talking to my np the other day she said it made her sick when her clinic would get the pills for $0.50 a pack and turn around and sell them for $20.00. can you just imagin how much more it would go up.

my pills are covered under my insurance. i mail them to caremark and they are filled 3 packs at a time for $10. i'm VERY happy for that one.

[Duck on Wheels]

I haven't gotten that email, but I first heard about it a year ago. It's true that some pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control, in one case, the pharmacist even refused to give the prescription back to the patient. I guess the best policy on a personal level, either way, is to support the pharmacist you agree with with your dollars.

Easy enough for those of us with lots of pharmacies to choose amongst. But what if you're out in the boondocks somewhere and it's miles and miles to the "nearest" pharmacy that will actually fill your prescription -- maybe even over a state line! What then? The "vote with your feet" consumerist solution doesn't always hack it.