Mitchell backs 'conscience clause' for pharmacists

[APRIL 23, 2005]  FORSYTH -- State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said Wednesday that pharmacists should not be forced to fill a prescription for the morning-after pill if it is against their religious convictions or moral beliefs. Gov. Rod Blagojevich recently issued an executive order requiring all pharmacists to fill contraceptive prescriptions regardless of religious or moral convictions.

"What is surprising is the fact the governor wants to force people, against their religious convictions, to do something they in their own conscience could not do," Mitchell said. "That is a first here in Illinois, and it's really a first in the nation. If someone wants the pill, and there are people who have arguments for and against it, you can either go to another pharmacy where it will be dispensed or wait for another pharmacist who doesn't have a moral objection to dispense it. What the governor's emergency order states is to force someone to do something against their moral convictions."

The governor's executive order threatens to revoke the license of pharmacists who don't comply.

"Taking away the livelihood of pharmacists is an extremely harsh penalty," Mitchell said. "Gov. Blagojevich's father-in-law says the governor would throw anyone under a bus for what he perceives to be a popular thing. This action goes even a step further. It says that if you're a pharmacist in Illinois, you must act against your moral conscience and beliefs or lose your job. I find his actions extremely disappointing."

[News release from Rep. Bill Mitchell]

Life Sentence, No Parole

If we tried to invent the cruelest punishment for dogs, we probably couldn't come up with anything worse than "solitary confinement" on a chain or in a kennel.

Dogs are pack animals who crave the companionship of others.  Scratches behind the ears, games of fetch, or even just walks around the block mean the world to them.  Curling up at your feet while you watch TV is their idea of heaven.

Many dogs left to fend for themselves at the end of a chain fall prey to attacks by other animals or cruel people, and many others are injured or hanged or choke as a result of getting entangled or caught in their tether.

If you have a backyard dog, please, bring him or her inside.  They don't want much--just you.

A public service announcement from Lincoln Daily News and helpinganimals.com