Over a dozen citizens spoke Tuesday afternoon, urging Saline County Commissioners to reverse a decision last week not accepting grant money to fund long activating versatile contraceptive birth control. And one person asked a commissioner to resign.

Last week, county commissioners denied a request from the Saline County Health Department to accept a $6,064 state grant to fund the internal contraceptives. Commissioner John Price was vehemently against the request, saying “I think it’s murder and I’m not standing for it”.

Saline County Health Department executive director Bronson Farmer last week explained that the birth control devices are not abortive. Price was unconvinced, saying that he had spoken with several doctors.

Over a dozen people spoke on the topic Tuesday, including a doctor, urging the commission to reconsider and instead accept the grant money

Dr. Rob Freelove said that the form of birth control at issue does not cause abortions when properly used, and it is a safe form of contraception. He urged the commission to accept the grant.

Dr. Trent Davis also spoke, and went a step further. He asked for Commissioner Price’s resignation.

Davis said he watched a recording of last week’s meeting on Access Television . “Something’s just not right. The way the meeting was conducted trounced common decency and the U.S. Constitution”, he said. Davis was referring to an exchange between Norman Mannel of Salina and Commissioner Price. “I don’t know Mr. Mannel personally, but I think his treatment was disgraceful and I would hope that no child in our city school ever watches last week’s tape”.

“Mr. Price you asked him to just get out of the building because he didn’t share your same views on God”. Price denied making the statement, but Davis said he made a personal transcript of the tape since the minutes of the meeting were not yet available. Davis said “you said if that’s your issue you need to go leave America and go where they don’t have God”.

Davis said he came to the meeting Tuesday to ask for Price to resign because of the way he treated Mannel. “But I think everybody is redeemable, with diversity training, communication training, it’s salvageable. But I think you need to be censured until that training has taken place.”

Price did not resign during the meeting, and the commission did not reverse its decision to not accept the grant money.

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Dr. Trent Davis speaks at the Tuesday meeting, asking for Price to resign:

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The exchange the week before, between Commissioner John Price and Norman Mannel.