While there has been much buzz about the Supreme Court nominees and their support for or against reproductive rights, the anti-choice movement has begun a very threatening war outside of the Supreme Court halls. A recent story on Women’s eNews talks about Target’s store policy that allows pharmacists to deny filling prescriptions that the pharmacist feels are in conflict with personal ethics. In practice, this means that at least 12 women that Planned Parenthood knows of have been denied the right to emergency contraceptives by pharmacists at Target stores.

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt recently announced that he would support legislation that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraceptives. Its the old issue of local versus central government - when you can’t win in one, go for the other. In addition to their battles in the courts, the anti-choice movement is also taking it to the streets in an “individual rights” strategy - giving those with power the right to deny services. The next step in that logic is to allow corporate entities (which are granted individual rights) to decide what they will and will not provide to people. When we allow non-democratic institutions such as corporations to decide what we have access to and what we don’t then we give up our liberties as beings with the right to choose what is best for our bodies and our lives.

The battle is not just with Target, it is with all those that wish to limit what choice means.

[tags]politics, corporatations, choice, emergency contraceptives, feminism[/tags]