PharmFacts
E-News Update -- 2 Apr 2008 AD #2
PFLI Note: Although
sponsoring this bill may
be commendable, we remain skeptical as to the depth or sincerity of the
so-called "pro life" convictions of Sen. Voinovich.
While acting as governor of OH (1991-98), Voinovich was repeatedly
asked to appoint a pro-life pharmacist to the Ohio Board of
Pharmacy to fill one of the 2 or 3 vacancies that occur yearly.
Rather than act in an area where he had significant authority and
control to effect a pro-life philosophy,
Voinovich ignored PFLI's just and legitimate requests, rather choosing
to follow the
recommendations of the pro-contraception and pro-abortion Ohio
Pharmacists Association (OPA), which has been traditionally hostile and
oppositional to a Pharmacist's Conscience Clause in Ohio, and inimical
to the mission of PFLI in general, e.g. attempting to shut down its
executive director when he spoke as a bona fide delegate at an
OPA convention considering a Conscience Clause.
In fact, OPA's executive director, who did seem to have the ear of
then-Governor Voinovich, has blatantly and repeatedly stated the
mendacity that Fr Paul Marx, of Human Life International fame,
agreed with him. Nothing could be further from the truth, states
PFLI Executive Director, Bo Kuhar, PharmD, a close collaborator and
associate of Fr Marx who often spoke at the annual HLI Conventions the
week following Easter. OPA only passed a watered down Conscience Clause
policy when faced with severe pressure by the pharmacists, the consumer
public and the near failure of SB 66, owing to OPA executive
director's rigid pro-contraception and pro-abortion sympathies.
Voinovich has never been supportive or pro-active in helping secure a
Pharmacist's Conscience Clause as an elected official in Ohio
(governor, mayor of Cleveland) nor as a US senator.
[:iglou123:] Senators Introduce Bill to Protect
Pregnant W
RIGHT TO LIFE OF GREATER CINCINNATI
PRO-LIFE eNEWS
Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Pregnant Women
April 2, 2008--
The Honorable
George V. Voinovich
United States
Senator
State of
Ohio
36 East 7th
Street, Room 2615
Cincinnati,
Ohio
45202
PHONE:
513-684-3265
FAX:
513-684-3269
For Immediate
Release
April 1, 2008
Contact: Joel DiGrado (202)
224-4623 &nb
sp;
Garrette Silverman (202)
224-7784
Becky Ogilvie (202)
228-2107
Senators
Introduce Bill to Protect Pregnant
Women
(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Sens. David Vitter, George
Voinovich and Sam Brownback this week introduced the Pregnant Women
Health and Safety Act, which would require physicians who perform
abortions to hold admitting privileges at a hospital that the
physician can travel to in one hour or less under average travel
conditions.
"This legislation is so important because it provides common
sense qualifications for abortion providers," said Vitter, the
primary author of the bill. "As with all medical procedures,
abortions carry a risk, and doctors who provide them should, at the
least, hold admitting privileges at a hospital in close vicinity to
the abortion clinic."
The bill also requires that physicians notify patients as to the
location of a hospital where they can receive follow-up care from the
physician in the event that complications arise. Further, the
bill requires that any abortion clinic that receives federal funding
be licensed and comply with current requirements relating to
ambulatory surgery centers.
The bill also provides that any physician who does not hold
clinical privileges may only perform or induce an abortion in order to
avert the imminent death of the pregnant woman.
"Patients need to be aware of the possibility of complications
arising from abortions," Vitter said. "This bill requires
abortion providers to make sure that a woman is aware of the
location of the hospital at which she can receive treatment for any
complications. It is time that we took the appropriate steps to
provide for the safety of the women who undergo abortions."
"We must do all that we can to restore
our nation's
once cherished culture of life," Voinovich said. "I have always
said if I had a magic wand the first thing I would do is reconstitute
the American family. We will never be able to do that until we respect
life - especially the lives of the most vulnerable among
us."
Brownback said, "While we are working toward the day when every
unborn child is welcomed and loved, we are unfortunately not there
yet. The Pregnant Women Health and Safety Act will provide
oversight of the abortion industry, which is badly in need of improved
supervision. Too many abortions are performed under unsafe
conditions, and too many women's lives are at risk. As a
compassionate society, we must work to ensure that women are
adequately cared for."
"The impetus of this bill stems from the tragic circumstances
of so many women who have experienced significant health issues
following abortions," said Vitter. "Thousands of women have these
stories to tell - stories like that of Cynthia Collins, who suffered
through a botched abortion at home, after being sent away from an
abortion clinic by a doctor who offered no advice, no comfort, and no
further care."
Collins now serves as the executive director of the Crisis
Pregnancy Help Center and is the Louisiana state director of Operation
Outcry, which provides assistance to women and men who have
experienced the trauma caused by abortion.
- 30
-
PFLI PharmAid Center
pfli@pfli.org
PO Box 1281
Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA
800-227-8359
www.pfli.org
PFLI supports
pharmacist rights of conscience NOT
to be forced to dispense or counsel for chemicals which violate their
sincerely held religious, moral or ethical beliefs. For more info see:
http://www.pfli.org/main.php?pfli=conscienceclausefaq
*** PFLI is the only pharmacy association which is
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