My post today comes from the Daily Women's Health Policy website. Daily Women's Health Policy sends regular (well, daily..haha) updates on various topics that are of interest to women, in regards to health, reproductive choice, harmful legislation, etc.
An email I received this morning stated that in the Missouri Senate on Tuesday, a statewide electronic drug monitoring system was voted on. This monitoring system would include certain controlled substances and some over-the-counter items. Clearly, the monitoring of legal/safe medications is something that would affect and invade the privacy of both men and women. If you have tried to purchase allergy or cold medication that includes the ingredient pseudophedrine in RI over the past few years, you have been asked to show ID and sign a document.
However, to put another (temporary) nail in the coffin of reproductive choice, the Senate "accidentally" allowed the tracking of Mifeprestone, known as the abortion drug. Please note that this pill is NOT the same pill as the morning-after pill, known as Plan B. Mifeprestone is also known as Ru-486 and has been legal in Europe for many years. The government does not currently have access to personal medical records without a subpoena. Most cases where anti-choice groups (Operation Rescue, etc) have tried to access these records have been overturned or denied by state Supreme Courts.
The inclusion of this drug would place it in the same "restricted" category as marijuana and heroin. Allegedly, Mifeprestone was included in this bill as what was referred to as a clerical error. After the bill was voted upon, Republican Senator Norma Champion noticed Mifeprestone on the list and called it to the Senate's attention, requesting another vote with Mifeprestone excluded. Senator Champion has declared that although she is not a proponent of abortion rights, she did not want to appear as being dishonest or having snuck Mifeprestone onto the list of restricted medication. RU-486 has been opposed since its inception, although it is safe, legal, and FDA approved.
I am curious to find out what the rest of the class thinks about this - how do you feel about the fact that it may become possible for the government to have this sort of access to your health care information? I am not looking to debate abortion politics (its the end of the semester and I'm tired) - just curious to see what people think about the possibility of the government voting to track your medication choices/needs.
I personally am questioning how a drug such as that one found its way onto a list of that type to begin with. If you have any frame of reference or experience with the reproductive choice agenda, it is extremely hard to believe that its inclusion was a mistake. Although Sen Champion came clean quickly after the vote, I wonder if she realized what a can of worms she would open if she neglected to do so...
While this post is not about the Holocaust, I found it relevant because it involves a tracking of personal information by the government, which I see as a serious invasion of privacy. If measures such as this one is approved, what is next?
The link to this specific article can be found below.
http://npwf.convio.net/site/News2?abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=11169&security=1201&news_iv_ctrl=-1
-Robin
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1 comment:
An interesting topic. No, I don't want the government tracking my medicines ... but I wonder what records they do have ... government subsidized programs ... and perhaps others - and of course, all via subpoena.
It certainly is an issue that is worth discussing ... what if universal health coverage is passed? Does that give government the right to track all of our medical care?
Something worth considering ...
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