Pharmacy Refusal Legislation Passes in Idaho
Reports the New West: "The Idaho House voted 48-21 today to allow pharmacists—but not
pharmacist technicians or other staff members—to refuse to dispense
prescribed medication based on religious or moral objections, despite
arguments that said the law would have major unintended consequences
for the elderly and for employers."
Feminists Pressure Spain to Reform Abortion Laws
There's still more pressure on Spain to reform its abortion laws, the Feminist Daily News reports: "A Spanish feminist coalition, the State Network of Feminist
Organizations, launched a campaign Friday to support the liberalization
of abortion laws by Spain’s government...Thousands of protests have taken place across Spain against abortion
reform. Tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters marched in Madrid and Barcelona this weekend."
South Carolina Waiting Period Bill Progresses
The
South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee has passed a bill
requiring women to wait 24 hours after getting an ultrasound before
getting an abortion, the AP reports. South Carolina law currently requires the woman to wait one hours. "The bill heads to the full Medical Affairs
Committee, where senators are expected to try to drop the two-trip
requirement or allow women to get ultrasounds somewhere other than the
abortion clinic."
Clinton Receives Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger Award
It's not fun to read Secretary Clinton's voice through the reporting of Catholic News Agency, but from that piece you can get really good quotes from her acceptance speech for the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award, including this gem: “I want to assure you that reproductive rights and the umbrella issue
of women's rights and empowerment will be a key to the foreign policy
of this Administration.”
More on Gardasil, Mandatory Testing
I was in Cambridge for
WAM!2009 this past weekend, moderating a panel on emerging reproductive
health stories in the new administration. Kiki Zeldes of Our Bodies,
Ourselves, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas of the National Latina Institute for
Reproductive Health, and Dana Goldstein of The American Prospect joined
me to talk about health care reform, the FDA drug approval process,
access to care for immigrant and low-income women, and many other
topics. The audience was particularly interesting in debating whether
the HPV vaccine -- mandates, approval process, whether it should be administered to boys. Dana covered the
discussion on Gardasil on TAPPED, and also discusses other mandatory testing schemes.
Other News to Note
March 30: ANI: Taliban bans women from entering NWFP shopping centers
March 30: People and the Planet: Family planning surge could make population difference
March 30: Right Wing Watch: Wright Recognizes No Such Need
March 30: Ross Douthat, The Atlantic: The Church, AIDS and Africa, Cont.
March 29: SLT: Editorial: Protect science from ideological contamination
March 30: News Medical.net: Vatican distorted scientific evidence on condoms, HIV to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue
March 30: Hot Air: Responding to Kmiec
March 30: AP: House passes pharmacists choice on party-line vote
March 30: NewsHounds: Bill O’Reilly Continues To Smear Dr. Tiller And Insult Women
March 30: Emax Health: Getting Pregnant In Spring, Summer Linked to Birth Defects
March 30: Christian Post: Catholics Similar to Mainstream in Support for Abortion, Stem Cell Research
March 30: Politico: DNC chair infuriates abortion backers
March 30: Publicola: Let the Angry Press Releases Begin, Pt. 2
