JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri General Assembly today gave final approval to a measure to protect the rights and beliefs of small-business owners. Senate Bill 126, sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, specifically prohibits pharmacies from being required to carry any specific drug – such as the “morning-after pill,” or Plan B.

“The President and his friends in Congress are trying to force everyone to adopt their very different view on the sanctity of life,” Sen. Sater said. “Our small-businesses should be able to run their businesses the way they think is best, not the government,”

Recently, a federal judge in New York ruled that the morning-after pill be available to people of any age without a prescription and four states currently require pharmacies to fill all valid prescriptions, even if the pharmacy objects to stocking it. The Food and Drug Administration also recently issued a decision to lower the age of access to the morning-after pill from 17 to 15.

“This court ruling and recent mandates from the President’s administration suggest the federal government thinks it is their responsibility to impose their political ideology on our citizens,” Sen. Sater said. “The bottom line is that our citizens should be able to run their businesses free from government intrusion and according to the beliefs they hold dear.”  

Senate Bill 126 now awaits the governor’s signature before it will be enacted into law on Aug. 28, 2013. For more information on this bill, as well as other legislation sponsored by Sen. Sater, please visit his website at www.senate.mo.gov/sater.