re: #85 Ian MacGregor

Obama also said he would support a conscience clause. Some who are for choice want to force doctors and pharmacists to act against their morals. Most of the country is pro life, but would allow it under certain conditions. I think, if they can get the conditions right, would garner support from the majority of Americans on this issue.

Conscience clauses are a backdoor way for the anti-choice people to gain a foothold. It’s really pretty simple: if you’re going to be a doctor or a pharmacist, you’d damn well better make sure your conscience allows for that before you get your qualifications. You don’t get to pick and choose what treatments/services you will and won’t cover ex post facto. That violates the Hippocratic Oath, for one thing.

If you have a problem with the idea of performing abortions, don’t be an ob/gyn. If you have a problem dispensing birth control, don’t be a pharmacist.

And it really isn’t as simple as saying “hey, let the pharmacist do what he wants.” In some places there isn’t another pharmacy or pharmacist you can get to easily. And that is HIGHLY relevant when dealing with something as time-sensitive as emergency contraception. But it’s also relevant for a woman who works long hours during the week, doesn’t have a car, is 50 miles from the next nearest pharmacy, and needs her birth control prescription filled on her lunch break.

We wouldn’t countenance the idea of ‘conscience clauses’ for viagra or high blood pressure medication or anti-depressants for a doctor or pharmacist who was a Christian Scientist. Strangely, the only time the issue of ‘conscience clauses’ ever comes up is when it comes to controlling women’s sexuality and fertility. Why is that?

BTW— You’re wrong when you say the majority of the country is pro-life. That’s false. The majority of the country in every reputable poll doesn’t want to see Roe v Wade overturned, although many people are comfortable with the idea of some restrictions on abortion, specifically parental notification laws for girls under 16. You have to look carefully at the polls and the questions asked, because this is probably the area where I have seen the most skewing done by pollsters and those who repeat their data. The result i just reported is typically spun as “Americans are pro-life.” Again, false.