Plan B Olympia

Thank you for your support in boycotting Ralph’s grocery store for its refusal to stock and dispense the emergency contraception Plan B, also known as the “morning after pill.” Plan B is an important option for women who seek to prevent a pregnancy after intercourse has taken place. More information about Plan B is online at www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/planB/planBQandA.htm.

Here’s an update on the issue and what’s happening in Olympia:

• We are committed to continuing the boycott as long as Ralph’s limits women’s medical choices by refusing to stock Plan B in its pharmacy. Despite the fact that the FDA now allows over-the-counter sales to women 18 and older, distribution is restricted to pharmacies, so the issue of whether a pharmacy stocks the morning after pill is as important as ever. The boycott extends to include Bayview Thriftway as it is a sister store owned by the same company (Stormans).

• Boycott organizers have made three attempts to meet with Kevin Stormans to discuss store policy, the community reaction, and how we might find common ground. All three times, Stormans refused to talk with us. Continued boycotting shows the stores’ owner how strongly we feel about ready access to emergency contraception. And the boycott has had an impact. The union president reports there have been no boycott-related job losses, but Stormans admitted to The Olympian that Ralph’s and Bayview have lost money because of the boycott.

• The state Pharmacy Board is investigating complaints stemming from ten incidents of Ralph’s refusal to dispense Plan B. While we await the outcome of that investigation, a grassroots effort such as a boycott is an effective way to communicate the importance of keeping Plan B available in our community. As consumers, we can be powerful, especially in an industry like the grocery business, which typically operates within a narrow profit margin. We should not rely entirely on an appointed body (like the Pharmacy Board) to represent our will!

• In order to further protect our right to birth control access, we are looking into ways to address the issue through state law, rather than relying solely on the Washington Administrative Codes decided upon by the Pharmacy Board. Given the results of the recent election, the time seems right for introducing legislation that will accomplish this goal. At our December planning meeting, a committee was formed to meet with lawmakers and explore legislative options to address the availability of Plan B in our state.

• The Plan B Oly boycott organizers are all former Ralph’s and Bayview customers. Many of us share a commitment to supporting locally owned businesses. That’s why many of us shopped at Ralph’s in the first place, before we learned about their refusal to stock emergency contraception. There are other locally and regionally owned shops in town, including the Olympia Food Co-Op (in two locations), Mega Foods and the Wine Loft. It should also be noted that Top Foods is a small chain with just 17 stores, all in Washington state.