Plan B for everyone!
Nov. 30th, 2005 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotusbiosmOK, so being a New Yorker, Hillary Clinton is my senator. There was a petition on her website about trying to get the FDA to get its head out of the sand (I'm being polite) and make Plan B available over-the-counter. I filled it out, as I'm one of her constituents, so I thought she might actually care what I think. I completely forgot about it in the meantime, but today I got an email from her!
November 29, 2005
Ms. Evelyn [lastname]
[home address]
Utica, New York 13501
Dear Ms. [lastname]:
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for signing the Plan B petition on my Senate website. Nearly 10,000 people signed the petition, calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make a yes or no decision on the pending application for the over-the-counter status of Plan B.
Senator Patty Murray and I submitted the petition to the FDA and we are hoping that the FDA will make a prompt decision on Plan B that is based on scientific evidence, not ideology. I will continue to closely monitor this situation.
Again, thank you for your support. Please check my website at http://clinton.senate.gov for updates on this issue.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Of course, it's a form email, but that's very exciting.
While we're on the subject, I also got a response from Target a while back. Others have gotten the same letter, but I'll post it here for you.
Dear Target Guest
In our ongoing effort to provide great service to our guests, Target consistently ensures that prescriptions for the emergency contraceptive Plan B are filled. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also requires us to accommodate our team members’ sincerely held religious beliefs.
In the rare event that a pharmacist’s beliefs conflict with filling a guest’s prescription for the emergency contraceptive Plan B, our policy requires our pharmacists to take responsibility for ensuring that the guest’s prescription is filled in a timely and respectful manner, either by another Target pharmacist or a different pharmacy.
The emergency contraceptive Plan B is the only medication for which this policy applies.
Under no circumstances can the pharmacist prevent the prescription from being filled, make discourteous or judgmental remarks, or discuss his or her religious beliefs with the guest.
Target abides by all state and local laws and, in the event that other laws conflict with our policy, we follow the law.
We're surprised and disappointed by Planned Parenthood’s negative campaign. We’ve been talking with Planned Parenthood to clarify our policy and reinforce our commitment to ensuring that our guests’ prescriptions for the emergency contraceptive Plan B are filled. Our policy is similar to that of many other retailers and follows the recommendations of the American Pharmacists Association. That’s why it’s unclear why Target is being singled out.
We’re committed to meeting the needs of our female guests and will continue to deliver upon that commitment.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hanson
Target Executive Offices
I'm cool with this response. I like that they're trying to make what they think is a fair compromise. And of course, if the FDA makes it OTC, it's a moot point. I also like that they had the guts last year to apply their "no solicitation" policy to the Salvation Army, when it already applied to other charities. So, I can shop at Target again.
November 29, 2005
Ms. Evelyn [lastname]
[home address]
Utica, New York 13501
Dear Ms. [lastname]:
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for signing the Plan B petition on my Senate website. Nearly 10,000 people signed the petition, calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make a yes or no decision on the pending application for the over-the-counter status of Plan B.
Senator Patty Murray and I submitted the petition to the FDA and we are hoping that the FDA will make a prompt decision on Plan B that is based on scientific evidence, not ideology. I will continue to closely monitor this situation.
Again, thank you for your support. Please check my website at http://clinton.senate.gov for updates on this issue.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Of course, it's a form email, but that's very exciting.
While we're on the subject, I also got a response from Target a while back. Others have gotten the same letter, but I'll post it here for you.
Dear Target Guest
In our ongoing effort to provide great service to our guests, Target consistently ensures that prescriptions for the emergency contraceptive Plan B are filled. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also requires us to accommodate our team members’ sincerely held religious beliefs.
In the rare event that a pharmacist’s beliefs conflict with filling a guest’s prescription for the emergency contraceptive Plan B, our policy requires our pharmacists to take responsibility for ensuring that the guest’s prescription is filled in a timely and respectful manner, either by another Target pharmacist or a different pharmacy.
The emergency contraceptive Plan B is the only medication for which this policy applies.
Under no circumstances can the pharmacist prevent the prescription from being filled, make discourteous or judgmental remarks, or discuss his or her religious beliefs with the guest.
Target abides by all state and local laws and, in the event that other laws conflict with our policy, we follow the law.
We're surprised and disappointed by Planned Parenthood’s negative campaign. We’ve been talking with Planned Parenthood to clarify our policy and reinforce our commitment to ensuring that our guests’ prescriptions for the emergency contraceptive Plan B are filled. Our policy is similar to that of many other retailers and follows the recommendations of the American Pharmacists Association. That’s why it’s unclear why Target is being singled out.
We’re committed to meeting the needs of our female guests and will continue to deliver upon that commitment.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hanson
Target Executive Offices
I'm cool with this response. I like that they're trying to make what they think is a fair compromise. And of course, if the FDA makes it OTC, it's a moot point. I also like that they had the guts last year to apply their "no solicitation" policy to the Salvation Army, when it already applied to other charities. So, I can shop at Target again.
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 02:38 pm (UTC)Your response from Hillary (I voted for her in 2000!) brings up an interesting point. In one of my classes last year we talked about the drug testing process and how the government is involved. Even though drug testing has been handled by the FDA for decades, it's only very recently that it has become politicized (thank you, Mr. Bush and co.). My professor argued that the consequences are more far-reaching than any single drug. Once the FDA is tainted by partisanship, it puts the whole process in jeopardy. The question becomes, if you can't trust the government's assessment of a particular food/drug, who CAN you trust? The FDA and other regulatory agencies are only effective if they have respect as an impartial entity.
Here's an imperfect analogy: imagine if food and drug warnings were just as confusing as abortion or campaign finance laws. Certain drugs would be OTC one year, and unavailable another. It would be chaos, and the public as a whole would suffer.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 03:34 pm (UTC)ps- i don't particularly like this story because it promotes semester at sea as a party barge or a love ship or a number of other names I have heard in relationship to the program. It is a fantastic program. Some people act in that sort of manner and give the voyage a bad reputation for the rest of us.