Until they stock Plan B: The boycott against Ralph's and Bayview continues

author : Janet Blanding topic : Plan B | Ralph's / Bayview Thriftway

by Janet Blanding

The FDA broadened access to Plan B for many women with its decision to allow over-the-counter acquisition by women 18 years and over. If Plan B were now available in gas stations and 7/11s, access would no longer be an issue and continuing to boycott would be more a matter of ideology than practicality. However, Plan B will not be as broadly available as Advil or Alka-Seltzer; although a prescription is no longer required, it will be available only in pharmacies, and it will still be kept behind the counter. Women will have to present ID proving they are 18 or over before they will be allowed to purchase it. Because access is limited to pharmacies, a store's policy to stock or not to stock Plan B is still critical to emergency contraception's availability to women. The women who use Ralph's Thriftway pharmacy continue to be underserved by Ralph's. Therefore, the boycott of Ralph's and Bayview will continue until the pharmacy stocks Plan B.

Organizers are hopeful that Ralph's emergency contraception policy will change soon. Kevin Stormans has admitted publicly to the Olympian and privately to others that the boycott has impacted his business significantly. Now, in addition to the financial sanctions imposed by the community, the Pharmacy Board is investigating the legality of his decision not to stock. The nine women who filed complaints against Ralph's for not filling their legal prescriptions for Plan B recently received letters from the Department of Health, telling them that the Pharmacy Board felt that investigations were warranted and would be commencing soon. In addition, the Pharmacy Board is redrafting state code regarding a pharmacist's responsibility to fill prescriptions. Although the public will not see the revised code until the Pharmacy Board hearing of August 31, it is widely rumored that due to pressure from both the public and the governor, the board is likely to create a policy that will protect a pharmacy consumer's right to have his or her prescription filled promptly at any pharmacy. It will be interesting to see how Pharmacy Board actions affect Stormans' policy. It seems unlikely that Ralph's will continue to refuse to stock the morning after pill for moral reasons if such a policy is judged to be unlawful.

For updates, check out http://www.planboly.org .