For the past several days I have been seeing and hearing a Gerry Connolly campaign commercial that paints Candidate Keith Fimian as an extremist.  Most campaign ads are background noise to me so it went in one ear and out the other.  Besides, most campaign ads are full of hyperbole and exaggeration.  Then I perked up my ears.  The ad said that Fimian supported the rights of pharmacists to not dispense contraception.  Now THAT IS extremist. 

I have tried researching this allegation, without much luck.  I even went to the  Legatuswebsite.  Fimian is a member of Legatus, which is a Catholic organization, founded by Dominos Pizza Magnet Tom Monaghan for very wealthy Catholic business folks and their spouses.  I didn’t find out much there either.  Maybe it’s me.  However, I haven’t heard anything which disputes this claim.  This makes me nervous. 

There has been somewhat of an uproar the past several years about pharmacists with religious objections being forced to dispense contraception, in particular, the morning after pill.  NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia  has this to say:

In addition to lack of contraceptive equity, Virginia’s so-called “conscience clause” allows pharmacists to decide which prescriptions they will and will not provide. This means that a pharmacist could legally refuse to fill a doctor’s prescription for birth control or stock or distribute emergency contraception. Since when do pharmacists get to step inside the doctor-patient relationship and refuse to fill necessary prescriptions?

 

Conscience Clause?  Where did that come from?  Someone slipped that one by me.  The more I google, the more I unearth and the angrier I get.  This thread needs to be a work in progress.  First of all, anyone who has knowledge of Fimian’s position on allowing pharmacists to cherry pick what prescriptions they will fill, please let us know.  I don’t have a bone to pick with private pharmacies who post, in clear view on their door that they do not sell or dispense contraception.  However, other stores open to the public without disclaimers should really not be involved in type of exclusionary behavior.  I consider it equivalent to the Muslim cab driver who wouldn’t let bottles of liquor in his cab.  Find another job. 

Secondly, what kinds of legislation have been passed that allow ‘conscience clauses and require pharmacist counselling?  How offensive.  If one works for a pharmacy, the job is to fill prescriptions, not chime in with a moral opinion.  If that is an issue, go work for a private religious hospital or pharmacy. 

I would especially welcome and appreciate word from the Fimian campaign that this information is indeed false.  This is the year 2010, in the United States of America.  Griswald was decided 45 years ago. 

 

 

 

 

28 Thoughts to “Fimian, Pharmacies and Birth Control”

  1. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    OK, well, at least you’re trying to help out, I have to give you that. Ummmm I don’t know how to put this gently, but this is one rung on the ladder above “Keith Fimian doesn’t chew the right brand of gum.”

  2. Only if you are male and don’t care whether you have access to reliable contraception.

    I guess it has escaped you that until 1965, women had no guarantee of having access to contraception. Even post 1969, single women did not necessarily have access. Many of us feel like we need to be watch dogs on this sort of thing.

    But thank you for being dismissive of what some of us feel is vital. I hope that when you go in to buy..oh..viagra…(not that you would possibly ever need it,) that some woman sneers in your face that she doesn’t believe in artificial erections and refuses to sell it to you.

    Talk about howling…if that ever happened to men.
    That has happened to women in Virginia.

  3. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I’m just sayin’ some folks are concerned with near 10% unemployment, an ongoing housing slump, the massive negative effects of Obamacare (big employers are already dropping employee coverage or getting waivers), the huge budget shortfalls in states like California that VA taxpayers get to help clean up, a mortgage mess that threatens to slow down any attempt to drag ourselves out of the Obama recession. And the booger of it all is that neither Connolly or Fimian have a political ad that says what they would do/propose to fix anything, just lame attacks. Fimian wouldn’t even have to get creative for an attack ad, just put Connolly’s voting record on the TV screen for 30 seconds….job done! And all across the nation, Democrats are airing ads that amount to “my opponent is just a poopie-head!…….oh, and extremist!” Do you think this would be Fimian’s first piece of legislation? He doesn’t have any more pressing issues? Look Moon, I really don’t intend to offend your sensibilities here. If you could hear the tone of my voice, you’d know I’m saying this in a friendly way. I did say “you’re at least trying to be a good soldier!”

  4. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Is everybody in moderation? Or just me?

  5. You aren’t in moderation. Why do you think you are?

  6. Well that comment was and I don’t know why. Sorry. Do I need to bring the other one out also?

  7. And I am not in their district. However, Fimian is a cultural warrior. When he ran in 2008, he was all over the uber conservative social values. I find it important to call attention to these issues because many candidates who are latching on to the tea party are actually the culture warriors with a tea party make over.

    I feel its important to call these people out. I don’t know if Connolly has proof of this or not, but now it is up to the Fimian campaign to issue a rebuttal…that Fimian does not support a conscience clause for pharmacist to not dispense contraception if they don’t believe in it.

  8. You are right…the ads haven’t been all that great but.. Fimian has no voting record.

    Finally, I am not so sure what Congress, the Prez or anyone else can do about some of the economic woes other than keep it from happening again.

    there are some good things in the health care plan. I think we need to be talking about whats good and whats not good and fixing the not good part. It seems more productive than just complaining about “Obama care.”

  9. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I’ll take no voting record over the worst voting record in the world any day. But I figured it out after my yummy McDonalds coffee. We’re actually on the same side of this issue, but maybe for different reasons. Here’s a conservative (a real conservative) take on this issue. Liberals will cry “women’s rights” over this. A conservative looks at this and says “as always, the free market fixes this problem, barring government intervention.” In the free market, the pharmacist refuses to fill the birth control Rx because of his conscience. The pharmacist is fired for not doing his job. The pharmacist goes to find another job somewhere else. Easy. IF Mr. Fimian believes that the law should protect the pharmacist, he’s not a true conservative, but rather a George Bush/Lindsey Graham/John McCain Republican. IF Mr. Connolly believes the law should force the pharmacist, he’s not a conservative. Once again here, the right thing will happen unless the government sticks its nose in, then you get the protected pharmacist situation.

  10. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    its nose. nuts.

  11. I fixed your nose, Slow.

    I guess. I don’t think it boils down to liberal vs conservative. I also don’t think people who protect reproductive rights are necessarily liberal. How on earth can a person go work for a major pharmacy and think they can get by with saying I am not going to fill the rx of anyone coming in and wanting those nasty old birth control pills.

    Again, if you don’t like birth control pills, don’t take them. Don’t marry or date anyone who takes them. Crawl back in your cave. (meaning the universal ‘your’) Its real simple. Many years ago I walked out of the Richmond Cathedral over this very issue, never to return.

  12. So if a pharmacist doesn’t want to dispense anti-depressants, shouldn’t s/he have that right, too? How about Viagra? Diabetes meds? Blood pressure pills? RX yeast infection treatment? I mean, if we’re going to do this, let’s do it all the way.

  13. And pretty soon the pharmacist undispenses himself right out of a job.

  14. I forgot to add that trojans will also become illegal. So will KY.

  15. Trojans? That’s ok. They have a bad habit of kidnapping women and not looking gift horses in the mouth.
    But why will Kentucky become illegal? Rand Paul?

  16. Was that just the king of double entendre, Slowpoke?

  17. @Cargosquid
    LOL! The jelly, Cargo. not the state (though I am waiting for a punchline now that I have said that).

  18. Emma

    I am in total agreement with Slow that most Americans aren’t going to be thinking about the never-endingly polarizing issues such as abortion, birth control, the death penalty, yadayadayada. Those issues really are not nor will be on the table anytime soon. It’s going to be jobs, the economy, and essentially a referendum on Obama that will define next Tuesday. Using this nonsense against Fimiam is simply a deflection to keep our minds off of the more imminent disasters going on.

    1. @Emma, I wish I didn’t HAVE to think about stuff like that. I really do. However, I know better than to let my guard down. Each and every time I have told myself it didnt matter or there were more important things to worry about, women have lost rights.

      Furthermore, if I know how someone is going to vote on abortion related issues, I can generally tell you how that person is going to vote on 100 other things. I havea 95% accuracy rate. There are a few exceptions. I tend to avoid culture warriors when I go to the polls.

      And please go back and reread. I have not used ‘this nonsense’ against Fimian. I am asking if it is true. So far, no one has told me it isn’t. And to me, it really isn’t nonsense. If someone isn’t allowed to buy contraception because some pharmacist says NO, we have a real problem on our hands in this country.

      Just out of curiosity, why do you think denial of contraception rights is nonsense?

  19. Emma

    Did women lose their “right to choose” during the eight years of the Bush presidency and the six years of Republican majority then? They didn’t, and they won’t. The candidates are just too cowardly to face the real issues head-on.

    1. @Emma

      There are several ways to lose your right to choose. 1 way is by the Bush appointments to the Supreme Court. 5-4 vote can wipe out Roe in a matter of minutes. 2. Another way to lose is to have jerks like Ken Cucinnelli and Bob Marshall try to whittle away the rights which is being done with definition of ‘abortion clinic.’ Even 6 of the supervisors had to get in the act. 3. General assemblies nation wide can continue to pass extremely restrictive laws which won’t go in to effect unless Roe v Wade goes into a free fall. 4. Access can be denied though insurance. 5. Protestors can drive a doctor out of an area. This especially happens in more remote areas. 6. the doctors can be shot and killed. I can name 4 that has happened to. 7. Pressure can be put on medical schools to not teach the procedure.

      So did women lose their right to choose? I guess it really depends how how you define ‘lose.’

  20. Emma

    It just seems to me that Democrats are really good at playing to those fears of losing “choice”. I find it hard to believe that the average voter on Tuesday will have those issues first and foremost on their minds, especially if they are unemployed or underemployed.

    1. You might be surprised. There is not a lot of unemployment in this area and women in this area tend to be rather progressive on reproductive issues.

      I don’t think Democrats are nearly good enough at playing to the fears. The fears are very real. It is more the pro-choice community that beats the drum and good for them. Unfortunately, downplaying the importance of abortion, contraception, and other reproductive issues is one of the anti choice tricks…to lull everyone into a false sense of security. Then come all the restrictive bills in next years General Assembly. Those ^&*()_$% even attempted to block Virginians having the procedes from pro choice license plates go to Planned Parenthood. Not one penny was going to abortion services. Some of our general assembly even voted against the plates at all. That’s how deep the ideology runs. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

  21. Emma

    What is nonsense is the cynical use of issues such as abortion and contraception to scare people into voting for Democrats. Would you agree that Republicans use that tactic to some extent with the Second Amendment? I can tell you that this month’s issue of the NRA’s National Rifleman highlights candidates that are the most friendly towards gun rights. Gun rights aren’t exactly on my Top 5 list this year, but I know they are to at least a handful on this blog.

    It really doesn’t matter what my opinion is on any of those issues; the point is how they are used to influence and manipulate voters election after election, and yet abortion, for example, is still completely legal.

  22. I would gladly vote for a pro choice republican. Find me one. I stopped being a Republican many years ago for that very reason.

    And while I don’t agree with the 2nd amendment people, mainly in fervor and degree, I understand those who would fall on that sword. They have watched their rights wittled away and they are tird of it. so they did their heels in, even where it doesn’t appear to matter, because they know they can’t take their eyes off things.

    Just is. I have relaxed and told myself that abortion shouldn’t be regulating my vote and that old anti choice so and so really would be better for my wallet, etc. Each and every time rights have been lost. I have a daughter and 2 granddaughters living in VA. I have 2 living in California. I sure don’t trust the younger generation to stand as guardians. They can’t stop texting long enough to keep their eyes on the prize. So I have to find incorporate the reproductive/culture stuff into everything else.

    As I said, find me a Republican…..

  23. punchak

    Moon-howler :Only if you are male and don’t care whether you have access to reliable contraception.
    I guess it has escaped you that until 1965, women had no guarantee of having access to contraception. Even post 1969, single women did not necessarily have access. Many of us feel like we need to be watch dogs on this sort of thing.
    But thank you for being dismissive of what some of us feel is vital. I hope that when you go in to buy..oh..viagra…(not that you would possibly ever need it,) that some woman sneers in your face that she doesn’t believe in artificial erections and refuses to sell it to you.
    Talk about howling…if that ever happened to men.That has happened to women in Virginia.

    Artificial erections!!!!!!!!!
    Best I’ve heard in a coon’s age. LOL

  24. Punchak…these are desparate times. :mrgreen:

    Younger people who have never lived through times when full reproductive choices weren’t available don’t seem to realize how serious this business is. Most people cannot imagine living where birth control and abortion weren’t easily accessible to everyone.

    I can. It alters how passionately one feels about the subject.

  25. Lafayette

    Since we are talking about pharmacies. Let’s not forget this little diddy. 👿
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6k4RrKNk7s

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