v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0

FANWOOD – Leonard Lance’s congressional campaign has released a new ad claiming current TV ads addressing his opposition to women’s access to birth control are “lies.” Lance was one of just six state senators who opposed Linda Stender’s bill to guarantee the right of women to have their prescriptions filled by pharmacies.

Lance continues to incoherently justify his unconscionable vote against the right of women to their basic health care needs.

Ø      First Reaction: Denial. Lance Neglected Accurate Vote in Press Release. When first confronted with his record, Lance denounced the “false, negative ad,” and failed to even mention the accurate vote on Stender’s pharmacy bill. [Press Release, 10/2/08]

Ø      Second Reaction: Feign Ignorance. Lance Finally Admits He Opposed Stender Bill for False Reasons. In later interviews, Lance claimed he supported an amendment that was not part of the Stender bill that would “require any pharmacy that does not stock a drug to refer the customer to one that is “reasonably accessible” to the customer and does stock the drug.” [Politcker NJ, 10/8/08; Newark Star-Ledger, 10/12/08]

o        Stender Bill Allowed for Pharmacy to Refer Customers to Other Places. S1195 said prescription drugs or devices would be obtained “under its standard expedited ordering procedures” or “to locate a pharmacy that is reasonably accessible to the patient and has the drug or device in stock and transfer the prescription there in accordance with the pharmacy practice site’s standard procedures.” [S1195, 11/2/07]

“No matter how much he runs and tries to hide, Leonard Lance’s record of opposing access to contraception for women is clear,” said Stender communications director Irene Lin. “When his pro-choice masquerade was exposed, he first chose to completely ignore his record and then had to lie about the contents of Linda Stender’s bill. His latest ad shows he’s still in denial about siding with right-wing Bush extremists when it comes to women’s rights. The voters of New Jersey’s 7th district need real change in Washington and a representative who will oppose the extreme-right wing agenda that has done so much damage over these past eight years.”

***************************************

BACKGROUND

New Lance Ad: http://www.youtube.com/user/Lance4Congress

Lance One of Six Senators to Oppose Right of Women to Access Contraception. In 2006, Lance voted to allow pharmacists to refuse dispensing medication to those with prescriptions based on subjective religious or philosophical concerns. Lance voted

against the bill although it passed overwhelmingly through the Senate, 31-6. [S1195, Seq. 336, 6/26/06]

DCCC Ad Noted Lance’s Vote on S1195 to Oppose Contraception for Women.

View Ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Umppkaxtzs

Ø       Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorsed Stender, Noting Lance’s Anti-Woman Record. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in their endorsement of Stender, called for Lance to stop calling himself pro-choice as his record shows just the opposite. Planned Parenthood Action Fund noted, “During his seventeen years in the New Jersey Legislature, Senator Lance aligned himself with the anti-choice extremists time and time again. In fact, Senator Lance was one of only six New Jersey Senators to oppose Linda’s bill that ensures women are able to get their prescriptions filled at local pharmacies.” [NJ Planned Parenthood, 9/23/08]

Stender Introduced Assembly Version of S1195. “Democracy guarantees us the right to hold our own moral or religious views, but under no circumstances should a pharmacist’s personal beliefs impede a patient’s ability to obtain their prescribed medicines,” said Stender. [S1195, 6/11/07; Press Release, 10/19/06]

Ø       Planned Parenthood Applauded Passage of Bill as “Basic Health Care for Women.” “Birth control is basic health care for women,” said Jeffrey Brand, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey. “The governor’s signing of this bill into law guarantees families the right to have any legal prescription filled anywhere in New Jersey. We applaud Governor Corzine for his continued support of women’s health,” continued Brand. [Planned Parenthood NJ, 11/6/07]

Bush Administration Proposed Law to Limit Access to Contraception and Overrule State Protections. In July 2008, Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that would require hospitals receiving federal funds to certify that, in their hiring, they do not discriminate against people who refuse to provide forms of contraception, such as birth control pills, due to personal religious beliefs. 104 House members sent a letter to the Bush Administration denouncing the proposal and noting its threat to states such as New Jersey: “By distorting the scope of the laws, it would gut state and local protections of women’s right to safe and effective birth control.” [ABC News, 7/21/08]

Paid for by Linda Stender for Congress