Abortion activists in Olympia, Washington have threatened to stage a boycott against Thriftway food stores because the owner will not provide so-called “Emergency Contraception” pills in their drug departments. Owner Kevin Storman, when asked about the threat, said that offering the abortion pills is a “non-negotiable issue”.

Mr. Storman owns a number of stores in Olympia, including two Thriftway stores, a gas station and Bayview Catering.

The National Organization for Women is leading the charge, hoping that it can mobilize hundreds of locals into punishing Storman and his employees for taking a moral stand.

You can email this stand-up guy: Kevin@stormans.com. Let him know you appreciate his values and placing lives ahead of a dirty buck.

Planned Parenthood of America (and Idaho) has invested tremendous resources and political capital in selling politicians on the “magic” of the MAP, also known as “Emergency Contraception”. Just last session, Planned Parenthood of Idaho attempted to sell the Idaho Legislature on the notion of increasing funding for contraceptives to the tune of $15 million. Fortunately, we were able to defeat that proposal in the House – but they have promised to return in the 2006 Session.

It is important, therefore, that the pro-Life community arm itself with crucial information about this subject. They need to know the harm it poses to women and girls; the deadly effect it has on newly-conceived babies in the womb and the awful social consequences of selling more young people on the lie of cheap and easy sex.

There have been several important developments over the summer of 2005:

The FDA has indefinitely postponed a decision on making the MAP available over the counter (without prescription). The Abortion Lobby has been raising a mighty ruckus, in tandem with the drug’s manufacturer – with both threatening to wage a state-by-state campaign to gain OTC status for this dangerous abortifacient.

Why does Planned Parenthood care so much?

An investigation by STOPP International (released on August 25, 2005) discovered that Planned Parenthood of America has a “sweetheart” deal with the giant maker of MAP, Barr Pharmaceuticals.

According to an internal email, Barr has agreed to sell MAP kits to Planned Parenthood at a price substantially under market -- $4.50 per unit. Simultaneously, it has pledged to maintain the public market price at around $32 per unit. A national review of Planned Parenthood clinics found that they were selling the MAP to ill-educated “clients” for about $25 per unit.

Thus, Planned Parenthood is able to make a huge profit while simultaneously undercutting their competition at drug stores and other retail outlets. STOPP estimates that Planned Parenthood and its various affiliates made a handsome profit of $15 million in 2003 alone from this dangerous drug.

Once more we see Planned Parenthood trading girls’ health for ideological and financial reasons.

Also this summer: The World Health Organization (a UN group), declared regular oral contraceptives to be “highly carcinogenic” (LifeSiteNews.com; August 8, 2005). This is a lower dose version of the MAP, so the WHO finding raises huge questions about the regular use of the “Morning After Pill”.

Other crucial stories:

• Pro-Life Physicians Speak About Concerns of Morning After Pill:
• Government of Philippines Bans EC Pill:
• Study Released Showing EC Does Not Reduce Pregnancy Rates/Surgical Abortion:
• Concerned Women for America Review:
• The Best General Briefing on the Subject:
• CWA Briefing Paper:

There is a battle raging in Australia over the introduction of the Abortion Pill – RU-486. Their national legislature just stripped the Health Minister of his authority to block the drug from entering his nation. The debate comes just as the American Congress is engaged in an investigation of the serious health risks associated with using the drug.

In addition, the Food & Drug Administration has announced that it will convene a panel of national experts to investigate complications associated with RU-486. The investigation follows the deaths of four American women, including Holly Patterson of California.

Back in Australia, pro-aborts celebrated their legislative victory in opening their country to the dark blessing of the Abortion Pill.

In response, Tony Abbott, the Australian Health Minister, has announced a proposal to spend some $60 million in the next five years to provide pregnant women with counseling services designed to help them find solid alternatives to abortion. Among other initiatives is a 24-hour hotline, where women can not only find practical help but emotional support during their pregnancy.

Prime Minister John Howard has announced his support for the initiative, saying that he is interested in supporting strategies designed to reduce the number of abortions in Australia.

That is tremendous news, and leadership worth emulating here in the U.S.A.

In a rather ironic and hopeful turn of events, several major pharmaceutical companies have announced that they have no intention of marketing RU-486 in Australia. They said getting into the new market would be expensive. But more importantly – these companies are not interested in a pitched battle with Australia’s pro-Life movement.

Two more American women have died as a result of complications from using RU-486. Concerned Women of America has renewed its call for the FDA to pull drug immediately.

“The FDA has pulled other drugs that have caused fewer deaths,” said Wendy Wright in a news release. “Why the double standard for an abortion drug…?” CWA cited other FDA data showing that, on average, only 10% of problems suffered by patients even get reported.

A 2005 article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women using RU-486 are ten times more likely to die than women who get surgical abortions.

Legislation is pending in Congress to suspend sales of RU-486 until the FDA completes a thorough safety review. Calls to Idaho’s delegation to support the “RU-486 Suspension and Review Act” are needed. It is sponsored by Maryland Republican Roscoe Bartlett.

CWA was joined by a spokeswoman for the pro-Life office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Deirdre McQuade expressed deep regrets for the other deaths of women around the world as a result of RU-486. Fatalities have been reported from Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom.