Wisconsin is apparently determined to move ahead in the Stupid State Olympics. While previous contenders for the podium have included Florida for its ban on adoptions by gay parents, Alabama for its ban on sex toys, and Kansas for fighting over the teaching of evolution, Wisconsin legislators now want to make it illegal for University of Wisconsin students to purchase Plan B contraception.
The legislation would prohibit University of Wisconsin System health centers from advertising, prescribing or dispensing emergency contraception — drugs that can block a pregnancy in the days after sex. The state university system has 161,000 students on 26 campuses.
Republican Rep. Daniel LeMahieu introduced the bill after a health clinic serving UW-Madison students published ads in campus newspapers inviting students to call for prescriptions for the drug to use on spring break.
“Are we going to change the lifestyle of every UW student? No,” LeMahieu said. “But we can tell the university that you are not going to condone it, you are not going to participate in it, and you are not going to use our tax dollars to do it.”
Let’s just parse that statement, shall we? are we going to change the lifestyle of every UW student?
No. Because, overwhelmingly, Plan B contraception is prescribed to and purchased by women. So, apparently, it’s not going to have any effect on UW male students.
No. Because those who can’t get Plan B contraception may find themselves pregnant. Some will decide to have an abortion. Some will decide to carry the child to term. And some will be lucky enough to find out that sperm and egg never met. But no doubt somebody’s lifestyle is going to be affected.
No. Because the governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, has already announced he’s going to veto the bill. Good on you, governor.
Representative LeMahieu has apparently not gotten the word that we still have a right to privacy in this country, that prescriptions are between doctors and patients, and that, well, he needs to knock this shit off.
Drop him a line and let him know that, won’t you?
Yesterday the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill–by a 37-0 vote–that would require emergency rooms to carry EC, have staff trained in dispensing and use of EC, and information about EC added to the packet of information given to rape victims…the 37-0 margin was after amendments to exempt people from the law because of their religious belief were defeated.
Don’t get too cocky about Massachusetts, Jeff. I believe you have Romney as your governor, and he may win the “stupid state” Olympics in the individual gold. On the other hand, it’s hard to beat Jeb Bush, who, this morning, asked that the circumstances surrounding Terri Schiavo’s collapse be investigated. Seems he thinks her husband may have done something to her.
I’m not, I’m not…Romney just endorsed a signature gathering campaign to get rid of marriage equality–would have to get over 65,000 sigs and then pass the leg by 25% then onto the ballot–earliest would be 2008.
Here’s a story about our EC legislation. It would also allow women to get it from pharmacists without a prescription.
I’ll be honest…I’ll be going on the job market in the fall some time…I really don’t know if I want to leave Massachusetts. It does feel like an island of sanity sometimes. I mean, 37-0? Romney is a painful, oozing boil on our ass, but he’ll be lanced soon š
Actually, Romney may be santorum. š
I know what you mean. Mass has been an island of sanity, but I think there are islands of sanity all over the country. It’s an archipelago at the moment, not a continuous land mass, but I’m hoping that someday, we’ll be re-united.
The academic market is frightening me–it’s so hit or miss, and I really, really don’t want to end up some place like Boone, NC. I know it’s lovely and all, but it doesn’t seem like the place for a Yankee city queer like me. I can’t do small-city living again, I just can’t. And there are a whole lot of places that are already off the list…oy.
I just now caught the santorum reference….oy, I’m slow on the draw today…you may be right; he does have that odor
It’s now true that if you google “santorum,” it’s the first thing that comes up.
but won’t someone please think of the children?! What will happen if some innocent child, doing a research paper on the beloved Senator, were to google him and come up with this filth? Who knows what he’d be tempted to go out and do.
I can only hope that it will show the child the true meaning of two faced liar and corrupt politician. I hope that it does not in anyway harm the child to learn the truth about Rick fecal matter Santorum.
God I love that reference to the man having dog sex, self appointed, egotistical, sanctimonious, anal retentive, asshat, bombastic, homophobic, lily livered chickenhawk, scumsucking ameoba, Rich fecal matter Santorum.
Now ask me how I really feel.
that’s it. let it all out. you’ll feel better. š
Thank you I feel so much better.
“that we still have a right to privacy in this country, that prescriptions are between doctors and patients,”
The Supreme Court, The House of Representatives, and, sadly, many liberal bloggers disagree. See Raich v Ashcroft, and Wednesday’s House vote against the Hinchey/Rohrabacher Amendment.
Ya know, sometimes I miss the old Soviet Union. Oh, not for all the awful things they did, or their broken politics. Heck no.
But there was a time when we Americans would reject State run press, needless foreign wars, invasion of privacy, restriction of free speech, human rights abuses, and all that sort of vileness as being “Communist”.
Who knew the real reason Ronnie Reagan defeated Communism was to make it easier to get away with that same crap here in America?
I have to agree with you there yaright. Having the commies over there, kind of kept the Fascist over here in check.
I like that, very succinct.
I believe if the communists were still over there, people like Brownback the brownshirt, Santorum the fecal matter, Frist the cat killer and McConnell the corporate asshat, would have never been elected and we would not all be worrying about our Constitutional rights be violated and outright stripped from us as US citizens.
Ah yes, back when principles and fear of hypocrisy were valued more than ideological purity and victory at all costs.
Its as if the lessons they learned from Nixon downfall were:
a) Don’t get caught
b) If you get caught, deny it
c) If your denial is refuted, attack the accuser
d) When all else fails, change the subject
e) Remember, as long as you deliver for your base, they can’t turn on you. After all, without you they’ve got nothing.
f) At the end of the day, your critics have no power. You have all the power. Just ignore them.
Ugh.
Normally greed is self-limiting. Some other greedy bugger will betray the really bad greedy person for personal gain. Is this another area where “9/11 changed everything” ?