Posted on 03/28/2002 8:20:04 AM PST by Gophack
CARMICHAEL, Calif. (AP) California's health maintenance organizations must cover ``morning-after'' contraceptives for women, Gov. Gray Davis announced Wednesday.
``A woman's right to choose must never be held up by red tape,'' said Davis, who's been trumpeting his support for abortion rights and increased access to contraceptives in his re-election fight against Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon.
Davis is instructing the Department of Managed Health Care, the state's HMO regulator, to inform all HMOs in the state about the new order.
Under the directive, HMOs will be required to cover the costs for emergency contraception through participating pharmacists within the HMO's network or, in emergency situations, from pharmacists who do not have a contract with her HMO. Some California HMOs already reimburse patients for emergency contraceptives.
In 1999, Davis signed a bill requiring HMOs to cover federally approved contraceptives and last year signed another bill that allows pharmacists to provide emergency contraception.
The morning-after pill can prevent ovulation or fertilization when taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.
Simon's campaign wouldn't say if the Los Angeles businessman and abortion opponent supported the increased access to emergency contraceptives.
``There are much more important topics,'' said Bob Taylor, a Simon spokesman.
A Democrat, Davis said requiring HMOs to pay for emergency contraceptives is another indication of how his administration is forcing HMOs to help patients.
``Until we created the department (of managed health care), if your HMO denied you something you wanted, you were basically up the creek,'' Davis said. ''(Last year), 40,000 people went to the department and got the care they were originally denied.''
Nationwide, Planned Parenthood said use of the drugs by its patients rose to 310,000 prescriptions in 2000, from 48,000 two years earlier.
And about 100 Planned Parenthood clinics in California filled 24,495 prescriptions in 2000, up from 3,419 in 1998.
Jane Boggess, director of the Oakland-based Pharmacy Access Partnership, said nationwide use of emergency contraceptives could eliminate 700,000 abortions each year. Each year, she said, there are 3 million unwanted pregnancies and half result in abortion.
``Emergency contraception is your second chance,'' Boggess said.
Usually, Boggess said, women don't use the morning-after pill as birth control and use it after other contraceptives have failed.
Of the more than 15,000 pharmacists in California, Boggess said, only 700 are certified to prescribe the bill. She hopes that will increase by 500 by year's end.
Some pharmacists said they will not become certified to prescribe the pill on moral grounds.
``We sent out about 17,000 letters to licensed pharmacists and only two voiced their displeasure,'' said Michael Negrete, a doctor with the Sacramento-based California Pharmacists Association.
``Their hesitancy is because they are unsure what it is and how it works.''
In order for a pharmacist to become licensed in order to prescribe the pill, he or she must attend a daylong class and/or participate in Internet classes.
``We have them take the classes (in person) because they need to know what to do if an 11-year-old walks in and wants the pill, or a rape victim,'' Negrete said.
AP-WS-03-27-02 1806EST
:SUBJECT: CA
Copyright (c) 2002 The Associated Press
First, so-called "emergency contraceptives" do not usually prevent conception. Conception most often occurs 6-12 hours after sex. Do you see women having sex on Friday night running out at midnight to the nearest pharmacy shouting "The condom broke! Give me a pill!"
Most women don't know if their contraception failed until after they become pregnant.
This pill is not a contraceptive. It causes an early abortion.
What about Catholic hospitals? Are they going to be required to now perform abortions? What about pro-life Pharmacists? Are they going to have to perform abortions? Catholic hospitals and/or pharmacists need to sue on this. This is a freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and livlihood issue. If a pharmicist refuses to provide this abortion, what will happen to him? Will he have to close his business?
And, what about the women? Pro-aborts must hate women. There are no long-term studys about the side-effects of the "morning-after" pill, which is a combination of two pills, one to prevent conception or, if the baby is already growing, to starve the baby by preventing implantation in the uterus; then another pill to expel the dead embryo. What it women take the pills late? What if the baby is already implanted? What if they repeatedly perform these abortions on themselves? They could become sterile for life or, worse, bleed to death.
The contraceptive mentality, the pro-death culture that the liberals are perpetuating, are deceiving men and women into thinking that there are easy solutions to their "problems".
We can't let it go on.
They are evil.
"Hi, I'm a dumbocrat. In order to make my media cohorts like me more, I am going to pass legislation forcing a large number of the citizens of my state to subsidize behavior which they feel is absolutely immoral. Hyuk hyuk, elekt me, my komrades!"
The best part is that nobody in the gol'durn media finds ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS!!!
This just serves to remind me how much I HATE CALIFORNIA.
:/ ttt
Here's a thought: what happens if Davis makes "abortion" his key issue for 2002, and he LOSES?
A conservative, avowed pro-life Republican takes the governor's mansion in California? I'm smelling national implications.
The 'Rats are going for broke. They're playing an all-or-nothing game, and we aren't.
They've got a LOT more to lose. Heck, no one will blink if a Republican loses a California race, but on the other hand, if a Democrat loses, Katy bar the door!
Davis has got to go, for more reasons than this, but to me, this is a biggie. One point I forgot to mention above is that this is a government mandate in the health care industry, which will increase the costs of health care for everyone. When health insurance costs rise, people fall off the insurance rolls. For those FReepers who don't think abortion is a serious evil, perhaps a sound business argument will convince you this is a bad decision.
Here's a thought: what happens if Davis makes "abortion" his key issue for 2002, and he LOSES?
On your second point ... excellent. Davis is doing everything he can to turn the election from his failed energy, economy and education policies. The election is not going to be about abortion. If Davis wants to try and make it about abortion, great. Simon will win.
A FReeper emailed my husband and told a story that he was at a southern California convention center when the lights momentarily went out. In the stunned silence, he yelled, "Thank you Gray Davis!" and everyone laughed.
On your first point, you are spreading a myth that isn't true. MEN are more likely to be pro-abortion than WOMEN. It's close, but true. The reason everyone THINKS that women are pro-aborts is because the media has spread the myth that women are leaving the Republican party because we're pro-life, and that this is a women's issue -- how can a woman be against a women's issue?
The fact is, Bill Simon overwhelmingly WON the female vote against pro-abort Richard Riordan who made abortion the issue.
Next the No Morning Ever After Pills on demand without a prescription and your HMO and fellow tax payers have to pay for your funeral.
These are the actions that Fascists take just before they control everything. Well if they control who gets born and enable a quick out, they control everything.
SIMON, THE SANE ONE!
Hey now, California's not an entirely bad place - my wife and I love living here. Having said that, however, Gray Davis has GOT to go.
When my wife and I heard this story on the news last night, she pointed out the fact that women will be able to get the "morning after" pill for free, while we have to pay $25/month for her regular birth control pills...
GO SIMON!!!
detsaoT, your reference to "legislation" is incorrect. Gov Gray issued a directive. The legislature is not mentioned in the article. ...Davis is instructing the Department of Managed Health Care, the state's HMO regulator, to inform all HMOs in the state about the new order.... Socialist fiat would better describe this. Edict would also fit.
Heh, of course I don't hate CALIFORNIANS. I only hate the collective (and completely amoral) decisions that Californians make en masse. Groupthink works well for the Democrats there, I guess.
FReegards, and my condolences for having to put up with the Soviet State (the only state in the nation with a Bureau of Office Furnishings....)
:) ttt
sw
Excellent catch, Jack. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
(On the other hand, I must say that the decisions being made by the CA legislature aren't that much better than the Dictator's... Fortunately, I don't live there, so take my complaints with a giant grain of salt...)
:) ttt
Bump.
That's the fundamental problem. Everything else is secondary.
They did find a link, but the abortion industry and spineless politicians are silent on the issue just like the abortion-breast cancer link.
Why do you think that they recommend that women don't take the pill after they turn 35? If they smoke? For more than 10 consecutive years?
There are so many problems with the pill I can't go into them all here, but I'll end with this thought: Wonder why so many women are infertile or have trouble conceiving?
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