The Politics Blog

Brad Shannon maintains this blog. He is political editor at The Olympian and can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.

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Political Editor

Brad Shannon
360-753-1688
bshannon@theolympian.com

Gov. Gregoire may appeal Ralph’s Plan B victory

posted 06:45 PM 02/22
Permanent Link.

As reported here by The Associated Press, a federal judge tossed out the Washington state Pharmacy Board’s dispensing rule today, which required pharmacies to stock and dispense medications such as Plan B – a morning-after birth-control bill. The ruling by Judge Ronald Leighton was a victory for the Stormans family that refused to stock the pills – citing religious objections - at its Olympia pharmacy.

Gov. Chris Gregoire put out a statement, making clear an appeal is possible:

“The purpose of the Board of Pharmacy rule is to ensure safe and timely access to lawful and lawfully prescribed medications, with particular concern about time sensitive medications. I remain concerned about the impacts on patients if pharmacies are allowed to refuse to dispense lawfully prescribed or lawful medications to patients. I am especially concerned about those living in rural areas, many of whom may have few alternatives and could suffer lengthy delays in receiving medication or go without entirely.

“My position in the matter has been clear from the start, and that is that patients should be provided with lawful and lawfully prescribed medications.

“Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, the Attorney General’s Office and I will confer regarding the best path forward to ensure patients have access to medications, especially those that are time sensitive. There are strong arguments to make on appeal from this lower court decision.”

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty posted a copy of Leighton’s ruling here. Becket Fund also put out a statement calling the ruling a victory for religious freedom and the two pharmacists who also were parties to the suit:

“Today’s decision sends a very clear message: No individual can be forced out of her profession solely because of her religious beliefs,” said Luke Goodrich, Deputy National Litigation Director at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Becket Fund, together with the Seattle-based law firm of Ellis, Li & McKinstry, represents the plaintiffs in the case. “If the state allows pharmacies to refer patients elsewhere for economic, business, and convenience reasons, it has to allow them to refer for reasons of conscience,” added Mr. Goodrich.

On the other side, Jay Inslee, the leading Democratic candidate for governor in 2012, put out a statement in support of the rule:

"It is beyond reason that women are still forced to battle for something as basic as contraception in the year 2012. We just witnessed the Republican Party’s attack on women in the recent House hearing on copay-free contraception, and now this federal ruling that would allow physicians to deny contraception to women in crisis. This is not a battle over religious freedom – it’s a battle to let science guide our discourse instead of ideology. This ruling must be aggressively challenged and women’s full access to contraception restored and protected."

Kevin Stormans’ family has fought in court since 2007 over the issue. But its battle in the Thurston County community began a year before that – when activists staged an economic boycott against the Stormans-owned Ralph’s and Bayview supermarkets.

We relied on The Associated Press for today’s story. But I hope to talk to Kevin Stormans at some point soon. Likely, the fight goes on.

Comments
Newt Gingrich coming to town Friday

posted 11:42 AM 02/22

Former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich brings his presidential campaign to the Northwest tomorrow and Friday – including a Friday morning stop at the state Capitol. He is the latest Republican hopeful to visit the state in recent weeks – after former U.S. senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, and Mitt Romney’s son, Josh – ahead of Washington’s Republican caucuses on March 3.
House Dems: Cut employee healthcare, delay K-12 funds

posted 09:34 AM 02/21

The House Democratic budget is formally on the table: The $30.66 billion supplemental spending plan lops some $81.6 million in local government aid, delays $405 million in funding for K-12 public schools into the 20130-15 biennium, and makes roughly half the cuts to welfare programs that Gov. Chris Gregoire and House Republicans have proposed.
Congressman Dicks: hatchery funding would create jobs

posted 06:54 PM 02/20

Congressman Norm Dicks visited Olympia today, speaking to the importance of Washington fisheries and asking state lawmakers to fund fish hatcheries.
Pam Loginsky running for Court of Appeals judge

posted 05:28 PM 02/20

Pam Loginsky of Port Orchard is running for judge on the Court of Appeals in Division II, District 2 – serving Thurston, Mason and four Olympic Peninsula counties. Loginsky works as staff lawyer for the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and also ran for Supreme Court in 2002, losing in a three-way race to incumbent Justice Charles Johnson.
UPDATE - Democrats' budget due at 9 a.m.; revenue is question

posted 04:46 PM 02/20

Democrats and their allies took grim pokes over the weekend at a House Republican budget plan that slashes welfare benefits and asks most state employees to take 24 days off work without pay in the next year.
Rep. Hastings takes aim at Endangered Species Act

posted 04:31 PM 02/17

WASHINGTON – Republican U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington state wants to know how much the federal government is spending to defend itself against lawsuits arising from the Endangered Species Act. Hastings, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, got a chance to pose the question to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday when Salazar went to Capitol Hill to defend the department's new budget request for 2013.
House GOP calls for welfare cuts, furloughs

posted 04:09 PM 02/17

House Republicans offered a balanced-budget alternative at the state Capitol today that fully pays for public schools, slashes welfare spending by $225 million, and forces state employees to take two more days off work each month without pay through mid-2013.
Democrats plan big crab feed Monday in Lacey

posted 03:44 PM 02/17

The Washington State Democratic Party holds its yearly crab feed Monday at Saint Martin’s University’s sports pavilion. Top party leaders – including Gov. Chris Gregoire, U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and Congressmen Adam Smith and Jay Inslee – are expected to show up and speak to the $50 per person event.
Heck ‘Listening Tour’ starts Saturday in Shelton

posted 11:17 AM 02/17

Democrat Denny Heck takes his second campaign for Congress on what he calls a listening tour that starts Saturday in Shelton, then goes on University Place, Lacey, Puyallup and Steilacoom over the next two weeks. He is running in the newly created 10th district which runs from Shelton to Thurston County and north to Pierce County communities including University Place and Puyallup.