SD Legislature strikes down Birth Control Protection Act
Looks like I spoke too soon in South Dakota, where the legislature has struck down the Birth Control Protection Act, which would have ensured women's access to contraception at pharmacies.
Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood South Dakota Director called the decision "a missed opportunity to take a positive, concrete step toward reducing unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion in South Dakota."
If you're interested in hearing more about this decision, Karina (the web editor at PP Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) has a great podcast interview with Looby.
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Yesterday's vote in the South Dakota Senate was significant. It showed the legislators did not buy the argument that contraceptives should be treated like any medication a woman might need for her health. They are quite right in that. Contraception neither cures nor prevents any known disease. Its affect on a woman's body is generally detrimental and anything but healthy. To deceptively promote it as medication or healthy discredits NARAL's claim to be concerned about women.
They did not buy the argument that contraception is not the same as abortion. It very often is abortion as any honest obgyn will tell you.
And they did not buy the argument that a pharmacist should be subject to prosecution for refusing to assist a woman to destroy the life within her. Destroying human life is an extremely serious matter and it would be a sad day in the good old U.S.A. if I or anyone else were forced to choose between doing so or facing criminal or any other sanctions.
Gee, that's funny. BCP is absolutely beneficial to me, as it helps me with a medical condition that would be debilitatingly painful without
it. I DO need it for my health. What do you say to me? Are you just uninformed about the uses of BCP for conditions other than contraception?
The fact that you would deny the use of BCP for women who need it for birth control AND for other medical reasons shows a cruel or ignorant attitude.
Since well more than half of American women have used BCP in their lifetime, I'm confident that these hateful, controlling attempts at getting rid of it are fruitless.