Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill prescription for IUD

[In It to Win It]

Kat Macfarlane
@KatAMacfarlane

A Louisiana doctor prescribed Cytotec to make the insertion of an IUD less painful. Walgreens called the physician to ask if the prescription was for an abortion, she told them it was for an IUD & the pharmacist still refused to fill it.

As abortion ban is reinstated, doctors describe 'chilling effect' on women's care

Link to tweet

[spanone]

1. He should be fired immediately.

[Hekate]

18. George W. Bush's "conscience clause" no doubt covers this

There will be no firings.

[milestogo]

2. I'm surprised this even goes through a pharmacy

since it has to be inserted by a physician.

[In It to Win It]

3. Not the IUD itself, the medication for the patient to prep for inserting it.

[milestogo]

5. Thanks, that makes more sense.

But still, it seems if you need any kind of pain control for the procedure, the doctor should have it on hand.

This is total bullshit.

[Phoenix61]

13. It's generic name is Misoprostol. It softens the cervix.

It can be used to induce labor and is one of the two drug combination used for a medication abortion. It is also used to treat arthritis and RA.
Also, WTAF is up with Walgreens?

[11 Bravo]

20. Clearly only sluts use IUDs, and therefore inserting one should be as painful as possible.

(It shouldn't be necessary, but just in case I'm going to violate my personal policy of eschewing the smilie.)

[Maru Kitteh]

7. Where is it you were thinking physicians obtain these medications?

It’s probably less often Walgreens than an in-house or nearby clinical pharmacy, but still - they will face like issues from those pharmacists as well.

I’m not trying to be snarky, I’m asking if you know of some other system I’m unaware of. Physicians get some samples here and there, but AFAIK physicians by and large write orders for meds that must then always be filled by a pharmacy - and that means a pharmacist.

[milestogo]

9. When I've had a local procedure, the doctor does not ask me to bring in propofol

No there is no other system that I know of. But I can't recall ever being sent to a pharmacy before an outpatient procedure.

[Maru Kitteh]

10. If your doc needs propofol for a local - run.

RUN LIKE THE WIND, lol.


I’ve had to go to a pharmacy (Walgreens, as luck would have it) a few times prior to a outpatient procedures. I assume it’s standard when having something done at a clinic not affiliated directly with a large facility that would have it’s own pharmacy.

Also, the patient wouldn’t necessarily have to pick up a medication. Lots of clinics order whatever medications they anticipate as standard for a scheduled procedure, label that medication for that patient ahead of intended use and administer it during the procedure. Just because the patient never touched it or asked for it doesn’t mean some jack-hole pharmacist can’t refuse to fill the order.

[ratchiweenie]

19. I have never heaard of this except for the pills for my colonoscopy. My facility doesn't stock

those. For all other procedures, they provide the medications. I assume they order what they need before hand. To ask the patient to pick up what they need seems crazy to me. I assume given these new laws, doctors are going to have to make some changes in how they do things and pharmacies are going to need to change too.

[Sympthsical]

17. They do face the same issues with in-house pharmacists

In-house can invoke the conscience clause same as anywhere else.

However, an in-house pharmacy at, say, a hospital would have people on duty who do not have the objections. It's something they're very, very particular about managing, particularly in a place that performs abortion, birth control, and related procedures. (Did you know some people invoke the conscience clause for sterilization procedures? I did not. That was a new one for me).

If a pharmacist does not inform their employer about the objection, and a situation arises where the pharmacist won't fill and won't help the patient and there is no one else around who can, the pharmacist will not be employed there for very long. And they'll have to have a nice long chat with the state board about their license.

(Had a real long chat about all this yesterday with my pharmacist partner and learned all sorts of new things)

[MagickMuffin]

4. Walgreens has a pharmacist problem and they better start addressing it

This will become a PR nightmare if they don't.


A lot of women shop there and if Walgreens allows this to continue I see a major boycott heading their way.

[3catwoman3]

6. And they will have brought it...

…on themselves.

[Sanity Claws]

8. Yes, a lot of Walgreen's issues

I will boycott them.
Anyone know anything about Rite-Aid? That is the other large drugstore in my area.

[mopinko]

11. walgreens tried this in il, and we changed the law right quick.

it's not like they dont know how this shit works.

[nini]

12. My dr gave me that pill in the office when I needed a biopsy

They're going to have to start skipping pharmacies the way it's going

hisssssssssssssss

[Novara]

14. I am boycotting Walgreen's

I didn't shop there much before this but now I won't shop there at all.

These "conscience clauses" are complete and absolute bullshit. If you can't do your job, get another job. Your job is to fill prescriptions, not to moralize, motherfucker.

[Ziggysmom]

15. Screw Walgreens. They question legitimate scripts for pain meds. None of their business

if within DEA law. Terminally ill patients should not be hassled about pain med usage. Big deal if a terminal person gets addicted before death. Saw this happen with a family member on OxyContin for bone cancer. Have not used Walgreens before and never will.

Now they are the morality police questioning birth control? Yet they have no problem making profits selling tobacco products???

[gratuitous]

16. And just like that

Everyone became a medical practitioner: Legislators, judges, pharmacists, flunkies, gofers, coffee boys, all knew how to practice medicine (they don't even need to examine the patient, they're so good!) better than those snooty doctors and their "Oh, I went to medical school" high-falutin' ways.

[Bettie]

21. A Pharmacists's function is to fill prescriptions

and sometimes, to warn people of possible drug interactions (though that is usually done by a pharmacy tech).

Their job is not to replace a Doctor's judgement with their own or to decide who gets treatment and who doesn't.

This is ridiculous.

[Hekate]

22. Protest to Walgreen's headquarters. Find out what their corporate policy is...

Demanding that local clerks be fired — don’t think that will help.

If you/we/activists can find a drugstore chain that supports our rights, we need to let the country know. We need to know where we can shop

[FakeNoose]

23. I've never heard of this drug, but I do know that IUD's can be inserted without it

I had an IUD inserted - with no drugs and no problems - probably 40 years ago. I don't think this Cytotec stuff had been invented as yet. This is a tempest in a teapot.

However it's a ANOTHER reminder to boycott Walgreen's (in certain states), so there's that.

[maxsolomon]

24. IUDs prevent implantation of fertilized eggs.

this pharmacist refuses to facilitate what they consider an abortifacient device - because of the binary interpretation of "when life begins". No doubt they feel super empowered by the SCOTUS decision.

There will be another pharmacy that will fill the script. Probably.