The Bus To Jeff City

I rode the Planned Parenthood/Faith Aloud bus to Jeff City yesterday. It was my first time to wander the halls of Missouri's state capitol building in search of legislators to encourage them to preserve access to contraceptives. One bill lurking in committee proposes to protect pharmacists who refuse to fill legally written prescriptions. Another would allow hospital emergency rooms to skip advising rape victims on how to obtain emergency contraception. A proposed bill of a different flavor provides for extensive, comprehensive sex education and require pharmacists to honor prescriptions, including those for emergency contraception. To clarify, emergency contraception is not an "abortion pill." And "abortion pills" aren't available or dispensed by pharmacists in Missouri.  My group met with individual freshmen Republican legislators. With only five weeks on the job, they had heard of Planned Parenthood but not Faith Aloud, and none were familiar with the three specific bills we were talking about--which meant they were a lot like me. I hadn't heard of Faith Aloud until I stepped on the bus. And, while I know Missouri is crazy conservative, I didn't know about the specific bills under consideration. Not that these legislators would couple crazy with conservative to describe our state. They'd probably go with a more feel good Republican description of Missouri, such as a right-minded conservative state. But I digress. Regardless of if the legislators represent the "right-minded" or the "crazy," I found them to be decent people wading their way through their first legislative session. Most scratched down the bill numbers and said they intended to talk to each bill's sponsor to learn more about their thinking. They all shook our hands and thanked us for stopping by. But reality surrounded my day. These are first time legislators crammed into tiny, bottom of the pecking order offices. Some admit their hearts belong to other issues like toads and bridges. As newbies, they will likely look to their party leaders for guidance, which is what I would do if I were in their squeaky new shoes. That's probably why it is good for everyone that I'm not an elected official. I wouldn't be any better than most newbies at remembering to represent everyone in my district, not just my fans. Tomorrow, more about Jeff City, the bus ride, State Sen. John Lamping, the Green Jacket Lady, other groups wandering the halls and donuts.