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07 September 2010

Yes, Buck's Policies Would 'Ban Common Forms of Birth Control'

By Ari

As reported by Michael Sandoval for National Review Online, Ken Buck's campaign has responded to Senator Bennet's attack ad. It's not clear to me who wrote the text that Sandoval quotes; it uses first-person pronouns while referring to "Ken Buck" in the third-person. Nevertheless, I will consider the text to constitute Buck's approved policy statement.

Neither Sandoval nor Buck deny that Buck wants to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest. What is at issue is Buck's views on birth control. Here is the relevant text from Sandoval's article:

'Buck wants to ban common forms of birth control.'

This is a lie. It is difficult to understand where this lie comes from. It may come from Ken's position that life begins at conception. However, the 'common forms of birth control' -- presumably, condoms for men and oral contraceptive pills for women -- do not result in killing a fertilized egg. I am not a doctor, but a Google search brought up this hit about how female oral contraceptives work:

http://womenshealth.about.com/od/thepill/f/howpillworks.htm
Buck is either disingenuous on the issue or else profoundly confused.

As I have reported, Buck endorsed the "personhood" measure, now slated as Amendment 62 for this fall's ballot.

My source was the "Christian Family Alliance of Colorado," which reports on its web page that Buck supports the "personhood" initiative. If for some reason this is mistaken, the Buck should correct the record immediately. I personally would be thrilled to hear that Buck in fact denounces rather than endorses Amendment 62; unfortunately, I don't think that's actually the case.

Nobody thinks Amendment 62 would ban condoms; that's just a diversion. However, according to the sponsors of Amendment 62, the measure certainly would ban any form of birth control that could damage a zygote, and the birth control pill certainly qualifies, as I have noted. Indeed, the pill that my wife took until recently says on its prescription information that it can act by "making it difficult for a fertilized egg to attach to the lining of the womb (implantation)."

Indeed, if we look at the very citation provided by Buck's campaign, it states that, with the pill, "The lining of the uterus is also affected in a way that prevents fertilized eggs from implanting into the wall of the uterus."

Assuming that Buck in fact endorses Amendment 62, then he in fact wants to ban the birth control pill, IUD, and "morning after" drugs. Either that, or Buck lacks the integrity to own up to the consequences of his endorsements. Which is it, Ken?

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