Today in the War on Women: New Hanover Commissioners choose not to accept family planning funds
The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners (in North Carolina) unanimously voted to turn down a state family planning grant that would cover contraceptive supplies along with other medical services related to family planning.
Commissioner Rick Catlin, who represents the commissioners on the county's health board, said he also voted against accepting the funds when the item was on the health board's agenda.
He said he was concerned with answers to questions he asked about the funds.
"The answers that I got were that there were patients that were not being responsible with existing family planning that was being offered and that this would provide a more reliable solution for those people", Catlin said at Monday afternoon's commissioners meeting.
He added that he had an issue with "using taxpayer dollars to fund someone's irresponsibility."
The county's health department was awarded $8,899 in family planning funds that would "provide medical services related to family planning including physician's consultation, examination, prescription, continuing supervision, laboratory examination and contraceptive supplies," according to a budget amendment item included in documents for Monday's commissioners meeting. The county was not required to match the state grant.
Chairman Ted Davis said he thought it was a sad day when "taxpayers are asked to pay money for contraceptives" for women having sex without planning responsibly.
"If these young women are being responsible and didn't have the sex to begin with, we wouldn't have this problem to begin with," Davis said.
Commissioner Jonathan Barfield said he was "one of those abstinence guys" and agreed with Davis' comment.
I'm sure this will be shocking news to all of you (not), but the 5 New Hanover County Commissioner are all men. No women on that board at all.
I'll make this short and sweet - here's the Commissioners contact information.
Feel free to let them know how you feel. If you do get a hold of a commissioner, please report the conversation in the comments.
Chairman - Ted Davis
tdavis@nhcgov.com
Office (910) 763-6249
Biography
Vice-Chairman - Jonathan Barfield, Jr.
jbarfield@nhcgov.com
Office (910) 233-8780
Biography
Commissioner - Jason Thompson
jthompson@nhcgov.com
Office (910) 798-7260
Biography
Commissioner - Brian Berger
bberger@nhcgov.com
Cell (910) 431-3115
Biography
Commissioner - Rick Catlin
rcatlin@nhcgov.com
Cell (910) 547-2724
Biography
UPDATE
In the comments, I joked that I hoped the commissioner's wives withheld marital favors until their husbands had a major attitude adjustment.
Well, it turns out at least one wife may have threatened just that:
The vote has caused enough controversy that at least one commissioner is backtracking.
Commissioner and Democrat Jonathan Barfield says he now regrets his vote and that the commissioners should have taken the grant money. On his Facebook page, Barfield wrote:
"I'm getting a good lesson from my wife right this minute on the error of my vote," he posted around 7:30 p.m.
"I just interviewed with WECT as I cited the error of my vote. I don't have the right to choose for any woman. If you watch the tape of the meeting you'll get a better sense of the discussion. Bottom line we should have accepted the money," he posted around 8:15 p.m.