Critics say Romney administration undermining emergency contraception law

[Thom Little]

Attorney General Thomas Reilly criticized the Romney administration Tuesday for proposing regulations that would allow Catholic and privately-owned hospitals to opt out of a new law requiring they dispense emergency contraception to rape victims.

Reilly stopped short of saying what steps he might take once the new regulations go into effect next week.

"There shouldn't be any confusion about this. The law is clear. It applies to all hospitals without exemption," said Reilly, who is planning a run for governor next year. "There is still time for the administration to come to its senses and do the right thing."

Romney, who had vetoed the law, defended the decision of his Department of Public Health, saying the new law conflicted with an older law barring the state from forcing private hospitals to dispense contraceptive devices or information.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MA_EMERGENCY_CONTRACEPTION_MAOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-07-20-31-39

[MADem]

1. I cannot abide that fucker! Susan Fargo nailed his purpose, though

"I think this has more to do with political ambitions," said state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, another supporter of the bill. "Unfortunately you can't decide where you are going to be raped so you can be near the best hospital for that."

[pilgrimm]

2. Luckily every thing Romney does from here on is nothing but a show

nothing he proposes will ever become policy.

[TaleWgnDg]

3. wait . . . wait . . . wait . . .

.
1.) When Mitt Romney (R, Massachusetts) first ran for governor of Massachusetts, he stated he was pro-choice. Yup. Quoting his own mother (deceased) on the subject. BTW, Romney is a Mormon as is his family of origin and his wife and kids.

2.) Then when Romney got elected as governor of Massachusetts from whence he sniffed the presidential waters . . . he flipped to become anti-abortion. Yup. Telling all the red states how terrific he was about "God's" stuff. Also telling the red states how horrible it is in liberal Massachusetts. Romney became anti-stem cell research, despite his own wife's illness, as well as anti-gay marriage. Very outspoken but only when in a red state. Whaddaguy!

3.) Then our state legislature passed a bill that granted authority to dispense the so-called "morning-after pill" in all Massachusetts hospitals, specifically its legislative intent was not to grant exception rights to religious hospitals or other Massachusetts private hospitals to refuse to dispense this contraceptive device.

4.) Then the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (executive branch) opined that an earlier Massachusetts law granted Roman Catholic and other private hospitals the right not to dispense the "morning-after pill." And, Romney agreed that the morning-after pill should not be dispensed at Roman Catholic Hospitals and other private hospitals who object.

5.) Romney once again does a 180 degree flip . . . now Romney says that he thinks the morning-after pill should be dispensed by all Massachusetts hospitals, private and public, religious or not, in agreement w/ Attorney General Thomas Reilly who, more than likely, would have run into state court to file a complaint for an injunctive stop order to stop Romney's stupidity. Ooooops, Mittens made another mistake of law.

"AAaaaahhhhhhhh, politics. Politics and religion and politics. Never should they mix." -- Thomas Jefferson (okay, he didn't say those exact words but something like that).
.

[Eugene]

4. Mittens reverses himself.

Romney says no hospitals are exempt from pill law

He reverses stand on Plan B

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff | December 9, 2005

Governor Mitt Romney reversed course on the state's new emergency contraception law yesterday,
saying that all hospitals in the state will be obligated to provide the morning-after pill
to rape victims.

The decision overturns a ruling made public this week by the state Department of Public Health
that privately run hospitals could opt out of the requirement if they objected on moral or religious
grounds.

Romney had initially supported that interpretation, but he said yesterday that he had changed
direction after his legal counsel, Mark D. Nielsen, concluded Wednesday that the new law supersedes
a preexisting statute that says private hospitals cannot be forced to provide abortions or
contraception.

<snip>

More: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/12/09/romney_says_no_hospitals_are_exempt_from_pill_law

Mitt needed his legal counsel to tell him that new laws supersede old ones?
He is so desperate to pander to the Christian right.