FIC Blog

My thanks to all of you who commented so kindly on my appearance yesterday on Fox 61’s “Beyond the Headlines.” I was a panelist during the segment on the “Plan B” bill, which would have forced Catholic hospitals to provide chemical abortions. Some of the best commentary on the death of that bill can be found, as usual, on the Republican-American’s editorial page:

Right decision, wrong motivation. State lawmakers appear to have abandoned their quest to compel Roman Catholic Church-affiliated hospitals to dispense Plan B, a drug the church considers an abortifacient. Activists argued a rape or incest victim might be unable to get this morning-after contraceptive but have failed to produce an example. This really was about forcing religious organizations to toe the secularist line.

The clock ran out on the bill Monday afternoon. The Public Health Committee had to vote by 5 p.m. for the bill to move forward, but the measure was still being debated when the deadline arrived…

But the bill should not have failed because its timing conflicted with Sen. Murphy’s electoral prospects. It should have failed because it sought unconstitutionally to bully a religious organization without materially benefiting anyone. It assuredly will be back during next year’s session, when lawmakers will not have to concern themselves with getting re-elected. Voters should force candidates to declare themselves on this issue during the coming campaign.

Having failed–for now–in their efforts to coerce the Church, pro-abortion bullies are now taking aim at a conscience policy for Wal-Mart employees:

The state comptroller is once again threatening to exclude Wal-Mart pharmacies from the state insurance network if the retailing giant does not ensure distribution of the Plan B emergency contraceptive…

But a Wal-Mart spokesman said the chain would maintain its “conscientious objection” policy, which allows Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club pharmacists who do not feel comfortable dispensing a prescription to refer customers to another pharmacist or pharmacy. The policy conforms to guidelines of the American Pharmaceutical Association and is similar to the policies of several other major pharmacy chains…

A Wal-Mart spokesman said Thursday that the company could comply with the state’s requirements by referring the customer to a nearby pharmacy, or by having the customer’s doctor phone the prescription in somewhere else.

But Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said that sending patients to another pharmacy is not acceptable.

“They have to make the drug available at the pharmacy where the patient goes,” Blumenthal said. “Patients can’t be shuttled from one pharmacy to another.”

Bullying pro-family citizens under the guise of “fighting discrimination” does appear to be a top priority for Connecticut’s dictatorship of relativism this year. There was a hearing on a “transgender rights” bill on Friday. A Mar. 16 New Haven Advocate article describes “transgendered” people as “a group that includes transsexuals, cross-dressers, drag queens, hermaphrodites and others who defy gender norms.” The article also notes that “powerful gay and lesbian advocates”–who previously avoided the “trans movement” because it contradicted the “we’re just like you” pro same-sex “marriage” campaign–are now helping to pass this bill.

The Associated Press carried FIC’s response to the bill:

The Family Institute of Connecticut, a conservative group, opposes the bill.

“If this bill passes, it would prevent school systems from disciplining or declining to hire cross-dressing teachers,” said Peter Wolfgang, a spokesman for the group. “People ought to have the right to be able to send their children to public schools where they won’t be exposed to this sort of gender confusion.”

That bill, and several others, must be voted on today or they will “die in committee.” To contact your legislators to ask them to vote pro-family on these bills, click here.