Reply #4: I was part of that small group of women at the support rally [View All]

[sonias]

Kudos to our Austin City Council for doing the right thing and kudos for Planned Parenthood for fighting for our rights!

Sonia

Here's the Planned Parenthood e-mail release

GREAT NEWS!

This morning the Austin City Council voted unanimously to pass a "no refusals" amendment to its pharmaceutical services contract with Walgreens. Our elected officials heard your voices loud and clear.

What does this mean?
Last year, the City of Austin entered into a contract with Walgreens, which covers pharmaceutical management services and prescription dispensing for patients treated at the City/Travis County Community Health Centers and for enrollees in the City of Austin and Travis County Medical Assistance Programs. The "no refusals" amendment that passed today, authored by Council Member Brewster McCracken, guarantees that patients served by this program will have fair and equal access to their prescriptions.

This amendment ensures that Walgreens pharmacists may not refuse a prescription because of their personal beliefs. In the event that a pharmacist declines to fill a prescription based on personal belief rather than professional judgment, Walgreens has committed to serving those patients in-store, without delay or discrimination. No delays, no lectures, no hassles.

Will this apply to all Walgreens pharmacies?
This applies only to those pharmacies that participate in the City/County program. However, it is our hope that Walgreens will adopt this policy at the corporate level and apply it to all of their locations.

What does this mean for other cities?
Austin is the first city to take this bold, proactive step to protect patient rights. This sets a great example for other communities to follow.