WoMN Focus

I truly hope that women in Massachusetts turn out in-force tomorrow or they may see their right to comprehensive reproductive care eroded. State Senator Brown, who is running for US senate, attached an amendment to a bill that would allow medical professionals to deny women access to emergency contraception. While I’m not agreeing with the negative ad saying that Senator Brown ‘wanted’ to deny rape victims access to care, his amendment would have achieved that.

Massachusetts senate record

Pending the question on passing the bill to be engrossed, Mr. Brown moved that the bill be amended, in section 4, by adding the following paragraph:—
Nothing in this section shall impose any requirements upon any employee, physician or nurse of any facility to the extent that administering the contraception conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief. In determining whether an employee, physician or nurse of any facility has a sincerely held religious belief administering the contraception, the conflict shall be known and disclosed to said facility and on record at said facility.
If it is deemed that said employee, physician or nurse of any facility has a sincerely held religious conflict administering the contraception, then said treating facility shall have in place a validated referral procedure policy for referring patients for administration of the emergency contraception that will administer the emergency contraception, which may include a contract with another facility. The referrals shall be made at no additional cost to the patient.

There is the obvious issue of compounding an already tramatic situation, which is absolutely unthinkable. Maybe he didn’t think about that or about the logistics. Women in a larger city may not have been impacted greatly and possibly wouldn’t have even noticed because there are multiple doctors and nurses in one hospital. What happens in the county hospitals/clinics where you may only have one person that is licensed to dispense medication? If they have a ‘religious conflict’, this ammendment would have done unnecessary harm to women in a horrific situation. Again, maybe he didn’t think about women in rural areas, but isn’t that his job? If he did think about them, what was his plan? How was he going to explain this to his women constituents who would be harmed by his amendment. Thankfully the amendment did not pass.

This threat of legal action by the Brown campaign against the mailer sent by the MA-DFL, has also served to highlight President Bush’s midnight HHS regulation. President Obama has pledged to overturn it because it sets a dangerous president that could lead to the denial of birth control and family planning services. Family planning services are an essential part of a women’s life. It’s starting so feel like a constant battle to defend my rights. There are groups that so readily fund protesters at clinics, attempting to dissuade women from using the services and legislators attempting to chip away at my right to choice. What I don’t understand is why are they so willing to fund groups bent on intimidating women, but won’t fund programs to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.