Conservatives try very hard to convince us that what they are really for is "limited government". I call bullshit--again. Steve Chapman wrote a
little ditty in which he excoriated Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for forcing pharmacists to dispense drugs their pharmacies sell, even if they are morally opposed to it. Chapman goes on to lecture about the virtues of the free market without compulsions to buy or sell anything--which I happen to agree with. So what's my beef? The whole reason the issue exists in the first place is because conservatives have pre-emptively bolloxed the free market!
Quoting Chapman,
Illinois, like several other states, has a "Health Care Right of Conscience" law, which says doctors, nurses and other health care providers can't be required to provide medicines, procedures or services that are "contrary to their conscience." The language of the law is broad enough to suggest that pharmacists are covered by it.
So, a pharmacy owner cannot replace a pharmacist who won't dispense birth control drugs with one who will. Oh, so it's
that kind of free market. </sarcasm>
In fairness, Chapman's closing "compromise" says that he does want a real free market after all, but his argument essentially is as follows:
- If I own a pharmacy, I can choose what to stock. But I can't fire someone if she won't sell you what I stock. Chapman thinks this is bad.
- Because of the governor, however, now you can buy what I stock regardless of how my employee feels about it. Chapman thinks this is really, really bad.
Nice pretzel, Mr. Chapman.