When there's a clash between women's right to contraceptives and pharmacists' right to refuse them....guess who wins.
Argus Leader Media - News
"Supporters of a defeated bill seeking to protect access to contraceptives said Friday state senators are out of sync with the public for killing the measure.
"Birth control isn't controversial, it's a common-sense way to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion," said Kate Looby, director of Planned Parenthood South Dakota. "South Dakotans are looking for solutions, not politics as usual."
The Birth Control Protection Act said South Dakotans have the freedom to obtain and use safe and effective methods of contraception without government interference.
"It is the public policy of this state that the interest in freedom from unreasonable government intrusions into the private lives of citizens, and specifically the right of consenting individuals to obtain and use safe and effective methods of contraception without interference by governmental entities ... " the bill stated.
After receiving approval from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the bill was defeated Wednesday on the Senate floor, 22-12.
State law allows pharmacists to refuse to dispense medication if they think it would cause an abortion or be used in suicide. The bill would have prevented pharmacists from using that abortion law to refuse to dispense birth control."
Linear Mode
