Today in Saline County, Kansas, the county commissioners decided to let their 3-0 vote stand, refusing a health grant for the county to provide long term birth control (IUD & Hormone Implants)
Below, I'm providing the entire meeting for those in Kansas who want to see how this happened. After the meeting, Commissioner Price had a few great moments telling us about how & why he decided as he did: (pardon the chainsaw work in the background)
.
He again re-iterates that IUD's are Murder.
He tells us that back in the old, hazy days of yore, when Teens got pregnant they just ran away from home or disappeared. Remember how great those days were (to see that moment, go straight to 2:36 on in the video above)
There is something hazy and off-putting about the attitudes expressed in this public meeting. There was an unannounced to us extra meeting held in the morning where testimony was given, despite instructions that this issue would not be debated until 2PM..
Here, I'm providing the meeting in whole. This is my first experience with this camera and as a result my microphone placement wasn't as god as I wish it had been, too close to the health department personnel not to Commissioner Price who had a tendency to mumble. That said, it came out "OK".
There are several moments here that are.. well.. I will let them speak for themselves.
17:00 -
Commissioner Price: "when sperm meets an egg, that's a baby"
Commissioners took time to invite in pro-life rally groups, and at one point there is an exchange that mirrors CaddyShack:
22:28 -
Commissioner Price: "So is there a chance 1 in 1000 that someone could be pregnant and get an IUD?"
Doctor: "Well.."
Commissioner Price: "Is there a chance in 100?"
Commissioner Price: "Look, nothing gives you zero.. but it's very long odds."
Commissioner Price: "There is a chance.."
48:30 -
Commissioner Price: "I'm much stronger on this issue now in my opposition"
50:33
I'm Disappointed in this decision. Science tells us these are not abortive..
Despite pleading from doctors & health care providers, the county decided to turn the funding away.
This one also works:
52:00, as doctors and health department workers express their dismay, Commissioner Price responds with: "We are the deciders"
In an effort to get a response, I contacted Stephanie Cool, Democratic Candidate who will face Randy Duncan this fall. Randy Duncan, pictured on the right as Chairman voiced that he would also be a no vote.
(Below Content is Exclusive to this diary)
"I am deeply disappointed in our County Commissioners' decisions today concerning women's health. When our health department was a joint city/county venture, a Health Board, made up of health professionals made decisions and guided staff at our health department.These decisions had not been a problem in the past. It's so important that medical professionals make medical decisions. Our county commissioners are not board certified trained doctors. Our Health Department has an excellent track record of educating and empowering its clients so that they are able to make decisions regarding their health.
I support increasing the expansion of the commission from 3 to 5 members in order to bring diversity to the group. Five members will allow for more debate and discussion. I also hope it will allow the commission to fully use its staff and advisory groups to help make decisions. Saline County is a wonderful place to live It deserves the work of professional medical staff, engineers, and emergency workers guiding the decision making process."
It should be noted that only two women have served on the County Commission since it's inception in 1860. I have not been able to find out how many of the commissioners, in general, have been Democrat. With that said, this really shouldn't be a partisan race. It should be about the most qualified. Those of us supporting the expansion are hoping that the role of county commissioner can be re-defined, but we are limited by state statutes. It will not be a quick and easy process.
Stephanie Cool's official filing:
http://www.salina.com/...
So there you go. The rejection of grand funding for long-term birth control solutions (IUD and Hormonal Implants) have been rejected.
A Note to Media
Over the weekend I became aware of at least one local media source using audio and quotes from diaries which I had posted which did not come from anywhere else. I'm OK with using my content - that is why I publish it. But I ask that if you use content from here that is unique to my diaries, you at least attribute it as a source. You can do so by referencing it or by at least emailing me at tmservo433 @ gmail.
A Side Note: Kickstarter Begins Today!
Today, I launched the Kickstarter for "What Happened to Kansas?" In the end, as should be visible here, I will keep at this regardless of how Kickstarter turns out. Still, I wanted to link it here for those who want to back our efforts to capture news in Kansas.
https://www.kickstarter.com/...
7:55 PM PT: BTW, now that I'm home.. my favorite comment from the gallery: