Although it has been several months since the Food and Drug Administration approved the prescription of Morning After Pills, a federal mandate has stirred controversy and ultimately lead to the resignation of two State Health Department nurses, Lenita Ackles and Linda Bell, from their posts.
The federal government currently mandates that all agencies and clinics receiving federal funds distribute MAPs.
MAPs are considered to be emergency contraceptives and are primarily used in the event of unprotected sexual intercourse, when a condom breaks or after a sexual assault.
Pills are available by prescription. The pills induce a menstrual period within two weeks of taking the dosage. During the cycle, the pill flushes the egg, which may already be fertilized, and prevents implantation.
Lenita Ackles, former Alabama Department of Public Health nursing supervisor for Calhoun, resigned on March 19 from her post after 13 years.
Ackles said she was pressured into prescribing the pills.
"I asked them what choices I had and they told me that I would either have to write up the other people who refused to prescribe the pills or be written up myself," Ackles said. "I didn’t want to be written up, so I resigned."
[Full Story]
5 comments
Reading stuff likes this makes me fearful that the day will come when no man or woman of any real faith will be able to keep a job in health care. Maybe the day will come when we won’t even be able to get a license. Then again, there are no doubt some unscrupulous managed care people out there who would like for this to be the case. This way, they can save a few bucks by not providing “futile care,” which amounts to anything they don’t want to pay for.
Alan Nourse was a physician and science fiction writer. He wrote a book titled “Blade Runner” (not to be confused with the movie based on Phil Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) about a time in which physicians and others did indeed have to function underground in a culture of death.
David, who posts the comment above, is a pharmacist. I once wrote him and asked him if he has personally faced this kind of issue. He is fortunate enough to be in a job where he doesn’t have to confront the issue.
I am not so lucky. I have to fight regularly to be able to practice my profession in accordance with my conscience. One day, I may have to leave, but for now I am taking it one day at a time. I count the small victories and mourn for the larger losses.
God bless those courageous nurses!
BTW – Alabama is very hostile to midwifery practice.
in health care also – administration – but have the same concerns. Already decided that I will not work for an organization that provides abortions. Currently Catholic Healthcare under attack to provide emergency contraceptives also. Guess I’ll still work for Catholic healthcare if it comes to that, but I’m not sure that’s really a good idea. Maybe I’ll have the conviction to leave also.
There’s a rhythm in these things. When modern medicine establishes itself in a rural area, it puts down anything – midwifing, herbal supplements, etc – that reminds people of what it was like before. When people have had a chance to get a bit peeved with regimentation, they start to ask themselves if there isn’t a more human-scale and lower-tech way to do things, and they revive an interest in midwives. I suppose to a lot of the older doctors in Alabama, you say midwife and they think of a toothless crone with dirty hands who ties off the cord with an old bootlace and spits on the baby for luck. I wish I’d been able to have a midwife deliver my children, but they were all Caesarians.
alabama is not hostile to midwives..just believes there are none. Its a sad commentary when alabama refuses to accept that midwives and homebirth are safe. Alabama IS anti family, anti child, anto woman and anti options.
Only WOMEN will change this.