Monday, May 14, 2007

ACTION!

(originally posted on April 29, 2007)

Normally I stick to the issues themselves and don’t comment on specific legislation, but the following is too important that I’ll make an exception. This isn’t about politics, except that a few members of the U.S. Senate are playing politics with our lives and the lives of people we care about. This proposal is called the Safe Drug Compounding Act but it is no such thing. It should be called the Limit Medication and Increase Suffering Act. Compounded medication is medication that is customized by a doctor for a particular patient and then put together by the pharmacy where the patient picks it up. If you do not rely on compounded medication, it is likely a family member of yours does, a friend of yours does, and/or a family member of a friend of yours does. Just as our fingerprints are unique, so are our reactions to medications. You should have every right to purchase medication that is suited to YOUR needs. A few members of the U.S. Senate want to restrict our access to these medications. Whether you can take medication tailored to your reactions should be up to you and your doctor, NOT the government. So what can you do? Call the offices of these senators and tell them to LAY OFF! (of course a little nicer) Here are the phone numbers:

Senator Ted Kennedy: 202-224-4543
Senator Pat Roberts: 202-224-4774
Senator Richard Burr: 202-224-3154

You will probably get one of their staff members. Here is the sample script: “Hi [person’s name]. I am calling about Senator [Kennedy’s, Roberts’s, or Burr’s] authoring of the Safe Drug Compounding Act. Our doctors and ourselves should be the ones determining whether we receive compounded medication, not the government. Therefore, I ask that Senator [Kennedy, Roberts, or Burr] withdraw his name as a co-author and vote against this bill if it ever comes to the floor” They may ask you for your name and e-mail address, give it to them

Thanks

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