New arena for birth-control battle

Star Tribune ^ | May 3, 2005 | Rene Sanchez

[wallcrawlr]

Rebecca Polzin walked into a drugstore in Glencoe, Minn., last month to fill a prescription for birth control. A routine request. Or so she thought.

Minutes later, Polzin left furious and empty-handed. She said the pharmacist on duty refused to help her. "She kept repeating the same line: 'I won't fill it for moral reasons,' " Polzin said.

Earlier this year, Adriane Gilbert called a pharmacy in Richfield to ask if her birth-control prescription was ready. She said the person who answered told her to go elsewhere because he was opposed to contraception. "I was shocked," Gilbert said. "I had no idea what to do."

The two women have become part of an emotional debate emerging across the country: Should a pharmacist's moral views trump a woman's reproductive rights?

No one knows how many pharmacists in Minnesota or nationwide are declining to fill contraceptive prescriptions. But both sides in the debate say they are hearing more reports of such incidents -- and they predict that conflicts at drugstore counters are bound to increase.

"Five years ago, we didn't have evidence of this, and we would have been dumbfounded to see it," said Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. "We're not dumbfounded now. We're very concerned about what's happening."

But M. Casey Mattox of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom said it is far more disturbing to see pharmacists under fire for their religious beliefs than it is to have women inconvenienced by taking their prescription to another drugstore. He also said that laws have long shielded doctors opposed to abortion from having to take part in the procedure.

"The principle here is precisely the same," Mattox said.

[unbalanced but fair]

I was arguing with you? News to me. I thought that was a legitimate question. Since when is asking a question, arguing?

[FreepinforTerri]

What is your masters in?

[Dont Mention the War]

You are the hero of school-yard bullies in junior high schools everywhere. You should be proud.

Ah yes, those were the days. Beating up pipsqueaks for their lunch money, pulling feeding tubes ... *sighs wistfully*

[mountaineer]

Actually, there's nothing at all interesting about your GPA, your spelling or your grammar. They're poor, but that certainly doesn't make them interesting. For the record, nothing about uninformed and illogical posters like you scares me, either. Your comments on the subject matter of this thread do not merit response.

[FreepinforTerri]

But my grammar does. Okay.

[Puddleglum]

It's their right not to sell whatever they don't wish to sell. They can run their business as they see fit. And if folks don't like it, they can go to a different pharmacy. Why is this so hard to figure out? What do you want to do, compel them to sell the pill with some grand benevolent new law? Maybe someone will compel you to run your business as THEY see fit.

[mountaineer]

This may explain a lot:

I'm 24, finishing my Master's Degree. I graduated from the University of North Texas in 2003 and work as a freelance social worker, pro-life lobbyist.

[SoothingDave]

When I post a message, there's a warning that says "NO personal attacks"

Is that missing from the screen for some of y'all?

SD

[FreepinforTerri]

How did you find my blog?

[unbalanced but fair]

Gee, I don't recall saying that you are frigid or have dyslexia. When did I supposedly move this discussion to those topics? Are you sure you're not projecting insecurities? If you use yourself as an example to prove your points, then you become fair game. If you don't like it, leave yourself out of the discussion, if you can.

[Dont Mention the War]

What is your masters in?

I don't have one; my chosen career doesn't require it, and I took a great job offer instead of sticking around to earn further degrees. If you decided to take the opposite track, good for you. But you ought to be aware that the only people that rate people's worthiness based on their pieces of paper are those who spend all their time seeking the pieces of paper. Are you planning a career in academia?

[FreepinforTerri]

I forgot that was on there. Great- now I have enticed you and other people with nothing better to do.

[.38sw]

This is getting more interesting by the minute.

[FreepinforTerri]

Then you should stop talking about mine. By the way, finishing is over. It's done. I should change that...

[mountaineer]

But my grammar does. Okay.

Well, it doesn't necessarily merit response, but your poor grammar and spelling, along with a monstrous know-it-all attitude, certainly invite mockery.

[mountaineer]

How did you find my blog?

I learned how to do stuff like that when I got my doctorate.

[FreepinforTerri]

Please, mock away...I have a job to do.

[FreepinforTerri]

Mocking me also gives you a break from defending various forms of legalized murder.


Ok, now I'm done.

[.38sw]

Al Gore's internet is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

[FreepinforTerri]

The long post justifying why you don't have one shows a little bit of insecurity. If you don't have one, and you don't need one, why the excessive posts mocking that that do?