Forgotten city ordinance bans birth control; city promptly DROPS ordinance

[Hobarticus]

By: Associated Press - Associated Press
DECORAH, IA - A city ordinance banning the sale of birth control has caught many city officials off guard.

The ordinance has been on the books since the 1970s, but most officials didn't know about it until a few weeks ago when a man e-mailed Decorah police demanding it be enforced.

''I ask you to enforce the law by seizing these illegal goods and arresting the offenders,'' wrote Bob Ulrich, who lives in rural Winneshiek County near Decorah. He said two local drugstores selling birth-control products and the Luther College Health Service's distribution of condoms are both in violation of the law.

''I looked it up and frankly, to my surprise, it was there,'' Decorah City Administrator Jerry Freund said.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/2005/10/03/Home/News/birthcontrol.htm

So what does Decorah do?

City Council moves to legalize sale of birth control devices

In response to concerns that the Decorah police department was not enforcing a city ordinance banning the sale or distribution of any birth control device, the City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would remove that restriction.

http://www.decorahnews.com/10-30birthcontrol.html

There's still sanity out here.

[shenmue]

1. These people!

x( :mad: :crazy: :wtf:

Gor-crimony nuts! I tell ya!

[HockeyMom]

2. You see

it's not just the "chemcial abortion" birth control pills. They don't even like barrier methods. It is up to GOD to decide if a sex act will lead to a pregnancy - NOT YOU.

Abstience Only until Marriage and Faithfulness In Marriage = BUSH Sex Education Policy for our children. WHERE is their mention of birth control - even IN Marriage?

[texastoast]

4. I knew a lot of sinning Catholics

Taking birth control was a sin in my best friend's family when I was growing up (although I don't recall that being one of the big 10). After seven children, we caught my friend's mom with, ahem, the pill package.

All of this is just crazy. I feel like we are in some wild time warp where we dumped all progress over the past 100 years.

[bluestateguy]

3. Griswold vs. Connecticut

That law should have been struck down a long time ago.

[progressivebydesign]

5. What an asshole that man was!

Can any of us imagine spending time thinking about how to forbid anyone from obtaining medicine? That's just bizzare. Why do people care so much what others do? Hey.. he can refrain from using birth control all he wants... why impose his sick beliefs on others?

[Canadian Socialist]

8. You didn't read the whole article

please do so before condemning Mr. Ulrich.

[Book Lover]

6. Back up a second - this ordinance was passed in the

Nineteen-seventies? And not in the Comstock era? Criminy and fer cri-yi.

[Zynx]

7. There are a lot of blue laws on the books in a lot of places.

However, they have simply basically become unenforced after various court cases.

[pro_blue_guy]

9. This situation is a good thing.

Thanks to this man bringing this forgotten law to the forefront, the smart and practical people on Decorah's city government got rid of an unnecessary law, no hesitation involved. Good for them!

[BlueIris]

10. Good thing not everyone has their heads up their asses.

I'm just going to try really, really hard to forget about all the other anti-sanity shit I've seen in the actual news this week. That should help keep me sane for the rest of this weekend.

[DaveColorado]

11. This statute was unconstitutional anyways

as long as Griswold and Eisenstadt stand.

[tonekat]

12. 'ol Bob has a lot of time on his gnarly nailbitten hands it seems

must be a real fun guy at parties.

[nodehopper]

13. read the article...his reasons aren't quite what you would think

[Skittles]

15. lol - perhaps he should tackle the hypocrisy in the bible

that would keep him busy for life

[Skittles]

14. I lived in Decorah when I was a teenager

:o

[OneBlueSky]

16. isn't that law unconstitutional? . . .

correct me if I'm wrong (the con law courses were a LONG time ago), but wasn't there a Supreme Court decision on the subject? . . . (Griswold v. Connecticut comes to mind, but that may just be the senility setting in) . . .

[CountAllVotes]

17. hey young women out there!

YOU yes YOU need to get your asses in gear and get yourselves organized to fight this crap! If you don't, Roe v. Wade will be overturned and it will be the back alley butcher once again. Do not rely on some two-bit politician to represent you because they will not. It falls on YOU young women of America.

The fight that we (the older women now in their late 40s-50s) fought for you 30+ years ago is being taken away and replaced by a right-to-life agenda.

The way it is going, soon birth control will be illegal too.

YOU young women of America must organize and fight for the right to choose once again.

:kick: