Wednesday, April 22, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
21
Anvil Blasters to play The Barn
Bill on birth control
stalls in Ore. Legislature
By sheila V kumar
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) — A pro-
posal that would allow
women to get birth control
directly from a pharmacist
without a doctor’s prescrip-
tion stalled Friday when a
committee chair decided
to convene a study group
instead of moving the legisla-
tion forward.
Republican Rep. Knute
Buehler previously pro-
posed allowing pharmacists
to prescribe and dispense
contraception to women. He
said the move would elimi-
nate a current inconsistency
that allows pharmacists to
dispense emergency contra-
ception but not preventative
measures.
Under the bill, pharma-
cists could choose not to pre-
scribe the contraceptive for
ethical, moral, or religious
reasons.
“It’s clear from the scien-
tific literature and best prac-
tices that over-the-counter
birth control significantly
improves women’s health
and reduces unintended preg-
nancies by up to 25 percent,”
said Buehler, an orthopedic
surgeon from Bend.
House Committee on
Health Care Chair Rep. Mitch
Greenlick said the issue
needs further discussion, and
he formed a work group that
could propose potential legis-
lation in the future.
The proposal would have
“moved pharmacists out
into the prescribing world in
a much more robust way,”
said Greenlick, a Portland
Democrat.
Buehler and Rep. Val
Hoyle, D-Eugene, will co-
chair the work group.
If it eventually passes,
Oregon would become
the second state, behind
California, to expand access
to birth control without a pre-
scription, he said.
In 2012, the nation’s larg-
est group of obstetricians and
gynecologists said birth con-
trol pills should be sold over
the counter like condoms.
The American College
of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists reaffirmed that
opinion in 2014, saying unin-
tended pregnancies remains a
major public health problem
in the U.S.
The Anvil Blasters will
kick off spring with a show
at The Barn on Saturday eve-
ning, April 25.
“The Barn is probably our
favorite place to play,” says
band member Jim Cornelius.
“The sound is great in there
and we love the atmosphere.
It suits our music.”
The songs of The Anvil
Blasters are peopled with
border renegades and des-
ert dreamers, poets, pirates
and ghosts of the old, weird
America. It’s a rollicking rec-
ipe of gunpowder, twang and
tequila that has earned The
Anvil Blasters a loyal follow-
ing across Central Oregon.
The Anvil Blasters are Jim
Cornelius (vocals, guitar),
Mike Biggers (vocals, guitar,
mandolin), Lynn Woodward
(vocals, mandolin, fiddle)
and guest Jeff Wester (banjo,
vocals).
“Jeff’s an original Anvil
Blaster,” Cornelius said.
“He’s a blacksmith and he
named the band back many
years ago. It’s great to have
him playing with us again.”
Wester named the band
for an old-time holiday cel-
ebration known as “blasting
the anvil” (also “blowing”
or “shooting” the anvil).
Celebrants would stack a pair
photo by lynn WoodWard
the Anvil Blasters — mike Biggers, Lynn Woodward, and Jim cornelius —
will play at the Barn on April 25.
of anvils on top of each other,
the bottom one upside down
so that cavity at the bottom
of each anvil met. The result-
ing opening was packed with
black powder and lit off to
blast the top anvil into the air.
The band will be joined
for this show by the Central
Oregon folk duo NTT (Kevin
Tanski and Deb Black).
“We’ve been wanting
to do a show with Kevin
and Deb for a long time,”
Cornelius said. “Their har-
monies are so sweet.”
The Barn is located at
68467 Three Creek Rd., about
three-quarters of a mile south
on Elm Street from down-
town Sisters. Bring your own
picnic; $10 suggested dona-
tion. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.;
music starts at 7 p.m.
For more information call
541-390-6973.
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