Pharmacist Refuses To Fill Prescriptions For Moral Reasons

[Shallah Kali]

Walgreens Allows Pharmacists To Not Dispense Drugs They Object To
http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4454234/detail.html

"She just told me that she will not fill it. That she's Catholic, and it's murder," Doe said.

Then, she said, before a crowded waiting area, the pharmacist berated her.

"'You're a murderer. I will not help you kill this baby. I will not have the blood on my hands,'" Doe said. "I tried to explain to her that it's emergency contraceptives, that it's not an abortion pill. She then snatched the form from me, that the prescription was attached to, telling me the paper was full of lies, and she won't be a part of it. I was crying, shaking, upset, so embarrassed. I wanted to run out of the store and hope nobody else could get a good look at me."

SNIP

"Condoms are sold there, very easily, very accessible. Viagra ... and I suspect there is no situation where that pharmacist has said to a man, 'I think there's something wrong in you taking Viagra,'" attorney Tricia Knight said.

Pharmacists should not be allowed to refuse to fill a prescription. Would a Muslim or Mormon be allowed to refuse to sell alcohol? Would orthodox Jews be allowed to refuse to sell nonKosher food? Would a religious vegetarian keep their job for refusing to sell meat? Could they get a job at a slaughter house and then be allowed to refuse to work? Why should certain groups be allowed to avoid their job like this?

[The Magistrate]

1. This Must Be Stamped Down, Ma'am

Any person who does it must be stripped of their lisence; any company that allows its employees to do it must be sued and bankrupted.

The "moral" claim here is patent nonesense: no person has the right to force their moral perceptions on another who does not share them.

[physioex]

4. Fire the SOB.....

Leave your morals at home, assign the job to someone who will, or start your own pharmacy......

These fundies want to push their view on everyone else......

[dusty64]

46. Exactly! I don't have

the right to refuse service to extremist fundie whackjobs, I would be reprimanded. If ya don't want to perform the job get the fu$k out!

[hector459]

113. But they will sell oxycotin to Rush without a peep!

And sell many more addictive drugs to wealthy and famous people.

[Journeyman]

8. Since the woman has to go to a doctor for the prescription. . .

for "morning after" pills, why not dispense the pill at the doctor's office? That way, no one's morals are compromised -- the doctor has no qualms, he prescribed the pills; the pharmacist with the objections isn't involved.

Or better yet, get the FDA to make these pills over-the-counter.

I personally see where some people can have legitimate moral unease over dispensing "morning after" pills. Birth control is one issue; there are medical applications for these pills beyond the issue of birth control. Pharmacists should rightly be required to dispense all legitimately prescribed medications. But the "morning after" pill exists for a single use. Nurses who object to abortions are not required to participate. Why should we insist pharmacists participate in a similar act?

Instead of demanding that a blacklist be instituted, why don't we seek a less intrusive, more compassionate approach, and change the rules to relieve everyone of their moral unease?

[AlienGirl]

14. Actually, the main purpose of morning-after pills is to prevent ovulation

Is there a chance ovulation might still occur but the pill will interfere with the egg's implantation? Yes, but *the same thing can happen with ibuprofin*. Most fertilized eggs do not implant, and there are a great many drugs and activities and even foods that can interfere with implantation.

The morning-after pill, ideally, suppresses ovulation until the sperm die off.

Tucker

[Isere]

I think you are wrong about that.

My understanding has always been that the morning after pill suppresses implantation, not ovulation. This isn't a small point because the zealots for forced pregnancy aren't uniformly against suppressing ovulation but they are against anything that interferes with an already fertilized egg. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

[shanti]

63. you are correct

the ovulation has already taken place.

[AlienGirl]

90. Its primary purpose is to suppress ovulation

There is only one scenario in which morning-after pills prevent implantation, and that's if there was already an egg in the Fallopian tube *and* if it had already been fertilized prior to taking the morning-after pill. Since an egg is present only three days of the month, and since it takes quite a while for sperm to reach an egg and fertilize it, this scenario is very unlikely, compared to the far more likely scenario of ovulation suppression.

Depending on the time during the menstrual cycle that they are taken, ECPs may inhibit or delay ovulation, inhibit tubal transport of the egg or sperm, interfere with fertilization, or alter the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), thereby inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg.

http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecabt.html

Tucker

[The Magistrate]

23. Those Are All Excellent Suggestions, Sir

But at the final sticking point, Sir, a person who claims "moral queasiness" grants him or her a lisence to determine the whole course of another person's life, and make it contrary to what that person desires, needs flogging in a public square pour encourager les autres....

[LdyGuique]

27. While you make rational sense, it probably won't work

with those who have an activist mentality. These radicalized pharmacists are taking an activist position. Not only are they refusing to fill the prescriptions, but are "lecturing" the prospective customers in a highly visible and confrontational manner in front of other customers. So, while this may be an issue of conscience, it is also an issue of activism.

Just as many lefty activists have learned, one can be fired for refusing to do one's job, even if it's a point of conscience. One can be fired for abusing and mistreating a customer. One can be fired for disclosing "privacy" issues of medical treatment to others.

I have no problem with a pharmacist quitting their job as a point of conscience. I have a problem with someone hired to do a job, dispensing medications prescribed by a physician as part of a medical treatment regimine, refusing to do that job.

A doctor should not have to dispense medications because pharmacies fail to do their job. This is the job of a pharmacy -- and in a free market system, one should be able to choose one's pharmacy based on its location, pricing, and overall retail store stocking policies.

This is not an issue that can be handled with a rational approach as it will grow as any other politicized issue has in the past. It's not a matter of one or two pharmacists in the country -- it's an organization that's been formed to do exactly this: prevent contraception for women. Next, it will take on other medications and drugs -- depending on its whims.

[alarimer]

50. I would have told tha pharmacist to go Cheney herself

And that I would not spending another dime in that store until she was fired for dereliction of duty. what an ass.

[Skittles]

38. MORNING AFTER PILLS DO NOT CAUSE ABORTIONS

STOP BUYING SICKENING CONSERVATIVE SPIN

[hippywife]

138. Correct! Not abortifacient.

And before I post the rest of this, this pharmacist needs to be reported under federal HIPAA legislation. If that woman has witnesses to her debasement in front of strangers, she has grounds to file a complaint for revealing medically pertinent information about a patient to others not responsible for her continuum of care or responsible for payment of her care.


From the Population Council

Contact:
Melissa May, [phone] [e-mail]
Diane Rubino, [phone] [e-mail]
Office of Public Information, Population Council

Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 4:12 PM

Emergency Contraceptive Disrupts Ovulation, Not Fertilized Egg Implantation

Summary: There is widespread confusion about emergency contraceptive (EC) pills, postcoital contraception that is sometimes called the "morning-after pill." Some people, including many who are seeking to limit access to EC, assert that EC pills might prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg.

But biomedical research on Plan B®, the only dedicated emergency
contraceptive pills sold in the US, shows that the drug interferes only with ovulation. These recent findings, published earlier in peer-reviewed scientific journals, support other studies suggesting that if the egg is fertilized before the treatment is started, there will be no impact on implantation.


Emergency Contraception Prevents Fertilization, not Implantation, Studies Show

NEW YORK (2 May 2005)--Recent research by members of the Population
Council's International Committee for Contraception Research (ICCR) and other scientists shows that emergency contraceptive pills appear to work by interfering with ovulation, thus preventing fertilization of the egg. They do not appear to disrupt postfertilization events, such as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus.

Emergency contraception prevents pregnancy most effectively when taken
within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. The researchers studied
levonorgestrel, a progestin widely used for regular hormonal contraception that is also used for emergency contraception. Emergency contraception has been the subject of heated debate. At issue is the method's mechanism of action: does it prevent the meeting of egg and sperm, or does it prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus? A method that allows the fertilization of an egg but prevents the fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus may be considered abortifacient by some.

Over the past few years, reproductive physiologist Horacio B. Croxatto of the Chilean Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Santiago, Chile, and his colleagues have studied the effects of levonorgestrel on the reproductive cycles of female rats, monkeys, and humans. Croxatto and one of his study partners, biomedical researcher Vivian Brache of PROFAMILIA in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, are members of the ICCR.

Croxatto and his colleagues exposed female rats to very high doses of
levonorgestrel at various stages of their reproductive cycles, either before or after ovulation or before or after mating. The researchers found that levonorgestrel inhibited ovulation totally or partially, depending on the timing of treatment and the dose administered. However, the drug had no effect on fertilization or implantation. This research was published in the May 2003 issue of the journal Contraception.

Next, Croxatto and his colleagues studied the effects of levonorgestrel given to Cebus monkeys either before ovulation or postcoitally. The reproductive cycle of each animal was monitored by ultrasound examination of the ovaries, vaginal smears, and measurements of blood hormone levels, in order to time the administration of levonorgestrel. The researchers found that, when given before ovulation, levonorgestrel was able to inhibit or
postpone ovulation. Alternatively, when it was given after mating-at a time when fertilization was believed to have occurred (on the basis of previous monitoring)-the pregnancy rates observed were identical in cycles treated with levonorgestrel or with a placebo. This indicates that levonorgestrel did not interfere with any postfertilization process required for embryo implantation. This research was published in the June 2004 issue of the journal Human Reproduction.

Women may become pregnant when they have intercourse in the five days before ovulation. This is because sperm can live in the female reproductive system for up to five days. An egg, however, is usually viable for only six to 12 hours after it is released. Croxatto, Brache, and their colleagues studied the effects of levonorgestrel administered during this fertile preovulatory period of women's menstrual cycles. The researchers used Plan B®, a
levonorgestrel-containing emergency contraceptive product marketed in the United States and Canada.

Twenty-nine women in Santiago and 29 women in Santo Domingo were enrolled in the study. All of the women were protected from pregnancy by tubal ligation or a nonhormonal intrauterine device. The study was randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. Women were treated with either a placebo, a full dose of Plan B emergency contraception, or a half dose of the drug. They were followed over several menstrual cycles and, by the end of the study, each woman had received all three of these treatments, separated by resting cycles. The women were randomly assigned to receive the treatments at specific times during the fertile preovulatory period, according to the diameter of the leading ovarian follicle, as determined by ultrasound. The leading ovarian follicle is the structure that ruptures to release the egg. In 82 percent of Plan B-treated cycles, follicles failed to rupture within the five-day period following treatment (the maximum time
span sperm would survive in the female reproductive tract), or there was some significant abnormality in ovulation. These conditions occurred in only 41 percent of placebo cycles. The rate of failed or abnormal ovulation that was observed with Plan B treatment is identical with the estimated efficacy rate of Plan B emergency contraception. Blood tests on these women indicated that Plan B influences ovulation by suppressing the surge of luteinizing
hormone (LH), the hormone that triggers ovulation.

"There is no doubt that fertilization would not have taken place in those women should they have had intercourse prior to treatment," says Croxatto. "We conclude that the effects exerted by Plan B, when it is taken before the onset of the LH surge, may fully explain the pregnancies averted by emergency contraception. Failure to affect the LH surge, because treatment was begun too late in the fertile preovulatory period, explains the 20 percent failure rate of this method. Our data presented in this paper suggest that emergency contraception using levonorgestrel works by disrupting ovulation, not by interfering with implantation." This research was published in the December 2004 issue of the journal Contraception.

The May 2005 Population Briefs is now available at
http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/popbriefs/pbmay05.pdf

Other articles in this issue are:

* Postabortion Complications Prevalent in Pakistan
* Globalization Is Transforming Adolescence in the Developing World
* Guide for Improving Adherence to Drug Therapies
* Sperm with Bent Tails Point to Possible Male Contraceptive

Population Briefs highlights the Population Council's research in
biomedicine, public health, and social science as well as its international collaborations. The free newsletter is available in print and electronically.

The Population Council (www.popcouncil.org) is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries.

Established in 1952, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. Its New York headquarters supports a global network of regional and country offices.

# # #

Please visit us at http://www.popcouncil.org/signup to receive an e-mail alert when news or publications have been posted to the Council's Web site.

[MaineDem]

47. In some states it is OTC

Here in Maine pharmacists are allowed to dispense it without a doc's prescription.

[Shallah Kali]

109. EC is otc in Maine but Pharmacists can refuse to dispense

Even though you can buy EC without a prescription it is dispensed by a pharmacist and they have the legal right to refuse to dispense it.

http://www.naral.org/yourstate/whodecides/states/maine/

What does the refusal clause allow? Pharmacists or persons acting at the direction of pharmacists may refuse to fill or refill any prescription if unsatisfied about the legitimacy or appropriateness of any prescription presented, the validity of photographic identification, or the identity of any patient presenting a prescription or any person acting on behalf of the patient.


Does the law require the refusing individual or entity to notify the persons affected?

No.


Are there circumstances under which a refusal clause may not be exercised?

No.


Does the law require the refusing individual or entity to provide medically and factually accurate information or provide a referral for prescription services?

No.


Does the law provide a mechanism for women to otherwise obtain specific reproductive health services, information, or referrals if an individual and/or entity exercises a refusal clause?

No

[mainer]

142. And i am very proud of Maine doctors for supporting it!

the Maine Medical Association supported that bill to make EC otc -- even though it took prescribing a drug out of doctors' hands -- because they recognized that it was vital to women's ability to control their fertility.

[hyphenate]

48. Uh, I can't agree with that

Pharmacists perform a service for a community. In big cities, there are plenty of them, making selection of services a lot more attainable, but can you honestly imagine what it would be like in a rural area if the pharmacists refused to fill doctor given prescriptions?

Pharmacists have their own code of ethics, which these outlaw pharmacists need to re-read, so they can understand it:

PHARMACIST CODE OF ETHICS

Pharmacists are health professionals who assist individuals in making the best use of medications. This Code, prepared and supported by pharmacists, is intended to state publicly the principles that form the fundamental basis of the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists. These principles, based on moral obligations and virtues, are established to guide pharmacists in relationships with patients, health professionals, and society.

I. A pharmacist respects the covenantal relationship between the patient and pharmacist.

Considering the patient-pharmacist relationship as a covenant means that a pharmacist has moral obligations in response to the gift of trust received from society. In return for this gift, a pharmacist promises to help individuals achieve optimum benefit from their medications, to be committed to their welfare, and to maintain their trust.

II. A pharmacist promotes the good of every patient in a caring, compassionate, and confidential manner.

A pharmacist places concern for the well-being of the patient at the center of professional practice. In doing so, a pharmacist considers needs stated by the patient as well as those defined by health science. A pharmacist is dedicated to protecting the dignity of the patient. With a caring attitude and a compassionate spirit, a pharmacist focuses on serving the patient in a private and confidential manner.

III. A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of each patient.

A pharmacist promotes the right of self-determination and recognizes individual self-worth by encouraging patients to participate in decisions about their health. A pharmacist communicates with patients in terms that are understandable. In all cases, a pharmacist respects personal and cultural differences among patients.

IV. A pharmacist acts with honesty and integrity in professional relationships.

A pharmacist has a duty to tell the truth and to act with conviction of conscience. A pharmacist avoids discriminatory practices, behavior or work conditions that impair professional judgment, and actions that compromise dedication to the best interests of patients.

V. A pharmacist maintains professional competence.

A pharmacist has a duty to maintain knowledge and abilities as new medications, devices, and technologies become available and as health information advances.

VI. A pharmacist respects the values and abilities of colleagues and other health professionals.

When appropriate, a pharmacist asks for the consultation of colleagues or other health professionals or refers the patient. A pharmacist acknowledges that colleagues and other health professionals may differ in the beliefs and values they apply to the care of the patient.

VII. A pharmacist serves individual, community, and societal needs.

The primary obligation of a pharmacist is to individual patients. However, the obligations of a pharmacist may at times extend beyond the individual to the community and society. In these situations, the pharmacist recognizes the responsibilities that accompany these obligations and acts accordingly.

VIII. A pharmacist seeks justice in the distribution of health resources.

When health resources are allocated, a pharmacist is fair and equitable, balancing the needs of patients and society.

* adopted by the membership of the American Pharmacists Association October 27, 1994.



Once a pharmacist decides to take the law into his (or her) own hands, needs to be reported to the mother organization and dealt with appropriately. Otherwise, there will far more unsettling and unwarranted grievances popping up, and the affect of the issue will permeate far more into society, and any freedom of selection and health benefits, as well as privacy issues will make the entire medical field of pharmacy just another fucked-up mess.

[Horse with no Name]

65. Can you clarify your statement please?

"Nurses who object to abortions are not required to participate."

That simply is not true. While anyone has the choice in which setting they choose to work, there are always exceptions to every rule and if you are working, and there is an abortion being performed, you WILL be involved, whether you like it or not.
Nurses do NOT have the right--nor should they--to pick and choose which patients they are going to take care of.
In fact, I saw a nurse attempt to that. She was assigned a patient and she said something along the lines of "I would rather not take care of that patient because he is xxxxx" and was promptly told that of course she always had a choice, she could go home and abandon the patients she had been assigned and risk losing her license, or she could take care of her assigned patients. Nobody was asking her to judge or approve any patient's lifestyle. Just take care of them.
And that is exactly applicable in this case.
Nobody is asking for the pharmacists approval. His job is to fill pills--not approve.
Why don't we leave the moral judging between God and the patient and relieve the pharmacist of that responsibility?

[Jade Fox]

84. If I get a job in a sporting goods store, and then refuse to...

sell hunting rifles, say, on the grounds that I morally object to hunting,
would you say I had a legitimate case of "moral unease"? Wouldn't
your response most likely be "get another job, sister!"
(this analogy is courtesy of another DUer)

This trend has got to be nipped in the bud. These people are asking for
special priviledges on their jobs. And 'moral objections' is one of those
ever-expanding tents that may be stretched to include just about anything.

These people have an agenda. It is to impose their own standards of
sexual behavior on others. They don't like women being allowed to have
sex without being punished for it in some way.

[Shallah Kali]

111. Exactly. How long before the racists are refusing to treat people of color

or gays because it is against their conscience? Most state's laws are written so broadly this is now legal. And how long before they are demanding such laws in other states as they are further emboldened by bush, frist and the rest catering to the dominants?

[Jade Fox]

126. Yeah, how soon before these same druggists start.....

refusing to fill prescriptions for people with AIDS because the are morally
opposed to the "homosexual lifestyle".

My guess: not long.

[LiberalFighter]

124. That could also apply to my job in the auto industry

Would I have the right to refuse to help in building a truck for a customer because I don't agree with their belief?

If I was non-union I would be fired.
If I was union I would be disciplined and warned and then if I still continued to refuse I would be fired.

[SemperEadem]

92. that's what I say all the time

maybe the time has come for doctors to be able to dispense the medicines they feel their patients need. Let the fundi-pharmacists practice their consciences to their hearts content while their business plummets.

[GinaMaria]

131. "Nurses who object to abortions are not required to participate. "

They also don't work at clinics where abortions are performed. They may work in ER's or other areas where the procedure is so rare that their non-participation will not even be noticed and will not disrupt patient care. The patient would never even know.

Any nurse who violated a patient's privacy as this pharmacist is alledged to have done, should lose her/his license. Generally, nurses who feel this strongly work in facilities where no abortions are performed. No one is forced into being a healthcare provider. No healthcare provider should ever attempt to influence patients with their views and beliefs.

This is an absolute violation of the doctor/patient relationship and the pharmacist/patient relationship and the patient's right to privacy.

[saigon68]

17. Walgreen's won't get any more of my FUCKING business

They allow right wing Thugs and Hoodlums to work there.

To berate the woman in front of a large crowd of people is totally unacceptable for any employee in any business

AND A GROSS VIOLATION OF HIPPA PRIVACY.

[tblue37]

128. I am actually sorry that I am beyond the age

where I might need such a prescription. I would absolutely love to be the woman such a butthead tried to berate in front of other customers. I would so love it.

They think they can get away with doing that because women are so often easily embarrassed by such things.

I am a chubby 54-year-old severely hearing-impaired woman. Sometimes teenaged or young adult store clerks or cashiers try to give me attitude because I can't understand them when they mumble (as most of them do). When they try that, I "rear my ugly head" and fiercely dismantle them. To them I look like an easy mark, but I am so not a doormat.

I have an article on my deaf/hard of hearing website I'm Listening as Hard as I Can about such an incident in a local grocery store:

"Deaf Power"
http://www.deafnotdumb.homestead.com/deafpower.html

Sure, my antagonist that time was some 19-year-old twerp, but I would not hesitate to take down a pushy pharmacist, either.

Instead of being embarrassed to the point of tears, women in these situations need to stand up and fight back. I don't mean for them to behave in a way that might get them thrown out by store security for disorderly conduct, but they need to stand up and fight back.

I would also make a big stink in the media--not just local newspapers, either. I would contact anyone and everyone who could help get the story out, and I would find an attorney who would sue. Bad publicity hurts businesses. I would be organizing a big-time boycott and a picket line, too.

I would also contact any lawmaker who might be persuaded to come out in support of me. I am in Kansas, but I wouldn't hesitate to contact people like Kennedy, Kerrey, Dean, Clinton, etc.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease--not the embarrassed, teary-eyed "wheel" who slinks away as if she has somehow done something wrong!

So many deaf/HoH people (mostly women, of course) have used the articles on my deaf/HoH site as inspiration to fight back when they are being walked all over that one severely hearing-impaired woman sells "WWTD: What Would Tina Do?" mugs, T-shirts, and bumper stickers from her online cafepress store.

We can fight this sort of crap, but we have to be willing to get out in public and make a mighty noise.

You know--the way the fundie rightwing nutcases do.

[saigon68]

132. You go Lady

Tear them a NEW ASSHOLE.

<view> Saigon stands back in admiration of fighting spirit </view>

[Brooklyn Michael]

80. So call/write Walgreen's and tell them!

Walgreen Company
Consumer Relations
200 Wilmot Road
Mail Stop #2273
Deerfield, IL 60015
1 [phone]

:argh:

[Megahurtz]

118. I Strongly Agree.

:thumbsup:

[still_one]

2. a better way is to boycott those pharmacies

Hurt them where it counts

if they are a public company to serve the public, we should also investigate what laws are availabe to fight this, perhaps through the ACLU

[yorkiemommie1]

10. hell boycott the entire chain

nuts to the waltons and their repug 'non-values '

[still_one]

15. wouldn't hurt

[TheDebbieDee]

40. Walgreen's is not affiliated with Walmart......eom

[cally]

75. Yes, but Walmart also allows pharmacists to refuse

to fill prescriptions. I'm boycotting Walgreens and I was already boycotting Walmart.

[yorkiemommie1]

134. thanks for info

i already boycott them anyway because they have set up shops next to several locally drugstores in my area.

[truthisfreedom]

3. anyone who interferes with a doctor's prescription being filled for a

patient should face mandatory prison time.

[agincourt]

42. That would be a way to get the ass-clowns,

out of the pharmaceutical business. It'll never happen, but it should. Murder indeed, one birth in the US probably starves off a dozen in the third world.

[renaissanceguy]

112. In the state I'm in after reading this,

I'd advocate jumping over the counter and whipping the shit out of them.

Sorry but I am SICK AND TIRED of this little minority group of people trampling over the rights of everyone else.

[still_one]

5. It looks like she has retained an attorney

I hope they sue the hell out of Wallgreens till it hurts

[LiberalFighter]

125. She needs to sue to the pharmacist too

Make sure the court doesn't drop either one of them from the lawsuit.

[Tux]

6. A pattern emerges

Why don't these women sue for discrimination on the basis of sexism? They are female with female oriented meds yet men have no such problems. As for class action, don't do since they're mostly illegal now. Cost them more money by loads of individual law suits that requires tons of lawyers. Corporations should pander to people who want to disrupt our medical care system.

[Shallah Kali]

7. NARAL email form to contact 5 Pharm. chains including Walgreens

http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/pharmacy_petition

Petition to be sent to the pharmacies
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/792375278

Petition asking congress to support the Putting Prevention First Act
{EC has to be provided to rape victims, insurance that covers drugs have to cover BC, etc}
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/893809992

Planned Parenthood is asking people to report refusals like this:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/pharmacistrefusal



Also the article is on yahoo if anyone wishes to rate it:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/WCVB/20050505/lo_wisn/2705443

[leftchick]

37. Thank you for the links!

I will sign them all. :grr:

[AlienGirl]

9. I work for Walgreens, as a cosmetician

I have a moral objection to testing cosmetics on animals. I wonder if I can refuse to sell cosmetics made by companies that test on animals, and still keep my job?

Tucker

[yorkiemommie1]

13. the dominionists would claim that G-d has given

man dominance over all other living things.

[AlienGirl]

18. They can claim that all they want

I will simply reply that "dominion" implies "responsibility for the well-being of" and point to passages where I am told I must feed my animals before I eat (establishing principle) and where cruelty to animals is expressly prohibited (establishing specifics).

Of course, you and I both know I'd be fired quicker than I could say boo, while the (Christian fundie) pharmacists get the full support of the company that does not promote anyone to managerial status unless they can work on Saturdays...

Tucker

[sandnsea]

28. I suspect you need your job

If you didn't, I'd sure be wanting you to try it. If you ever decide you want to quit, this is definitely the route to go! But you have to make sure and be something that could conceivably include some sort of higher value of animals than Christianity has.

[regnaD kciN]

32. That's a good question...

My ex-wife worked in a Woolworth's in Vermont, where she occasionally had to sell ammunition to hunters, even though she was morally opposed to hunting. Had she decided, on moral grounds, to refuse to sell them their shotgun shells, do you think she would have been allowed to keep her job? I don't think so...

[customerserviceguy]

76. Did she know

that the Woolworths stocked ammunition, when she took the job? If so, then it was one of the conditions that she was accepting when she applied for it. Potentially abortifacient drugs just came on to the market recently, and while current pharmacy students have the option to quickly change majors, existing pharmacists who have devoted themselves to the service of human life have a right to examine their consciences on this.

I suppose that it's possible large numbers of them might just quit, conscience policies allow a business to keep running without the possibility of severe disruption.

Here, in my heavily Mormon city, we have two supermarkets. If you have no objections to selling beer, you work for Albertson's, and if you do have these objections, you work for Bowman's. Some folks won't shop at Albertson's because they sell beer, and some folks would rather shop for their prescriptions at a place that does not sell pills that they feel causes abortions.

Isn't that what we call "choice"?

[oldcoot]

85. The pharmacist should quit

No one is denying pharmacists the right to examine their consciences. However, if the idea of selling emergency contraception is so morally repugnant to an individual pharmacist, the pharmacist should quit his or her job instead of working for a pharmacy that sells this product. After all, his or her salary is probably determined by the pharmacy's profits and a truly moral person would not want to take "blood money."

Unfortunately, the pharmacist in this case decided to take the easy way out and used her religion as an excuse to bully a customer.

[LeftyMom]

86. The pill has been on the market for decades

and was used for this purpose (high doses to prevent implantation) for most of that time. A book on women's health care I have has instructions for doing the same thing with most popular birth control pills. The only new thing is that a product pre-labeled for that purpose is available.

For that matter, I know of women who used pills to abort (as opposed to preventing implantation, which is what emergency contraception does) before one could get the Pill. Apparently ergot-based pills (which were intended for migraine sufferers) were commonly used for termination of pregnancy.

I believe every pharmacist is obligated to dispense whatever legitimate (ie, not faked, I'm not implying a moral judgment here) prescription comes over the counter. Anybody who refuses to sell the pill in it's cyclic or emergency contraceptive variants should lose their job.

I say that as a woman who has no desire to use either medication.

[rebecca_herman]

11. Ugh

These stories disgust me. I worry it will happen to me sometime even though I am in a liberal area. I don't have to worry about pregnancy (not sexually active) but if I miss my pills I will get my period and thus very severe bleeding and cramping (why I am on it). They have no right to mess with the health of women. And the pharmacist was an idiot. If she had given this women her emergency contraception she may have never ovulated or never had her egg fertilize. Instead she got pregnant and had an abortion! I hope that idiot pharmacist feels guilty. It's her fault anyway.

[gardenista]

12. I hope she wins big in her lawsuit.

And that there is legislation passed soon to force pharmacists to fulfill prescriptions no matter what the medication.

Perhaps technology will eliminate that pharmacist's job.

BTW, to avoid this problem, order your prescriptions online or by mail, and bypass the fundie behind the counter.

[izzie]

16. I see this as OK but the drug store needs to do this

Either get a new worker or state it is not a public business for all drugs but only the ones it wants so you can pick that store or not use it. Now I would not use Walgreens and I am sure some would just because of this. Not being a public business it must fill out the stuff that goes with becoming a club or what ever you wish to call it. Face it it looks bad for any thing the right wing does not want any more. We have fought this fight before kids.

[nolabels]

19. Tell WALLGREENS to STICK IT IN THEIR ASS

They said they would not take my prescription card for some antibiotics because it had a Teamster Union logo on it. They take the prescription plan otherwise but not if has anything to do a with a UNION. They refused my card so next time they bring one OUR companies rental trucks (which they have several of) in for me to work on I will refuse to work on it. I don't care, fuck them and fuck them again. I am going to send them a nice nasty letter to tell them how much they suck and to let them know that I will be telling everyone else I know how much they suck.

It is rather nice to know they can only get good Truck leasing and rentals from shops that have UNION mechanics, so they really can go fuck themselves

[AlienGirl]

20. Maybe I'll try to unionize my store...

:evilgrin:

[regnaD kciN]

33. Go, Tucker, Go!!!

:yourock:

[jukes]

77. OR, once you find a job

w/ a different company, take the stand, let them fire you, & sue!!!


not practical for you, i know, so mostly kidding. but guddam, wdnt it be fun?


:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[yorkiemommie1]

22. i'll pass that on to the teachers' union

n/t

[yorkiemommie1]

26. good! screw 'em back!!

we have to fight them whenever we come up against them. if they want a culture war, we can give it to them.

i'm fighting Macy's right now over their FOXNEWS indoctrination screens in their stores.

on a more personal level, we're fighting a fundie who my daughter invited to join HER BAND and now he and his fundie wife are trying to dictate repertoire , dress code and whether my daughter ( age 28 ) can have a beer before she starts singing.

[bperci108]

44. This might come in handy:

Have you seen the latest secret weapon in the war against the Idiot One-Eyed God With The Glass Face?

https://secure.adbusters.org/orders/tvbgone/


Happy zapping. :D


If Macy's won't turn off the tube - do it for them.

:rofl:



(Edit: spelling.....fingers don't work too well this early. LOL.)

[yorkiemommie1]

133. i'll try

but i have a sneaking suspicion that they're all controlled from a main source.

you know, big brother-like

[Horse with no Name]

68. Pure insanity

What is happening out there?

[davsand]

81. They refused to serve you because you are Union?

Am I getting that right? Is this a case of them saying we won't serve you because you are union or is it a case of them saying you'd modified the card (personally) somehow and they wouldn't accept it because it had been altered?

I really want to understand this clearly--PLEASE!

Laura

[nolabels]

98. I went to the pharmacy with my prescription and my card

I ask the tech at the counter if they took the this plan when I showed the card. She yes they take the card but since it was a Union plan they don't take it. I called just called the Walgreens pharmacy a few minutes ago and they said they take medcohealth cards (but I didn't tell them it had a Teamster Logo on it). I called the 800# on the card and ask about it and they said they were unaware why they shouldn't take the card if they take Medcohealth cards in general. Though she also said Walgreens was not on the list of listed providers also.

I am not a isolated case, the pharmacy tech at Savon pharmacy down the street had several stories of the same thing happening to other people. I got my prescription filled there, they are also UNION :thumbsup:

I had never had been in Walgreens before that. The one I went into was a new store and had just opened up in the last couple months and I wanted to see what it was all about.

[Princess Turandot]

21. I had the very same thought today..abt what the reaction would be if..

a conservative Muslim or Orthodox Jew bought the only supermarket in Podunk, and announced that they would now only sell halal or glatt meats, because of their religion. I have no issue with their choices and there isn't anything wrong with halal or glatt meat, except that it's often very expensive.So that pharmacist in Podunk can now drive 20 miles to buy a turkey which isn't $5 a pound, since that's what all the people supporting these pharmacists say.

Has the national association of pharmacists weighed in on these events at all?

[Dogmudgeon]

24. Sexism is just the start

There is a great deal of sexism involved in these "conscientious" employees' decisions, but we should not think that other meds and devices are, or will be, exempt from their prying eyes.

There have been a few cases already where men have been chastized for and/or turned away from getting Viagra or Cialis. And for years, rogue pharmacy employees have denied men condoms, and have used thier purchases for blackmail and other "moral" purposes. Many churches have also advised their members to keep tabs on young people who buy pregnancy test kits. And the list continues.

It's the slippery slope argument, and it's observably valid in this case. They start with "abortion pills" and move on from there. Next on the list will be analgesics (the anti-drug crusaders); then Ritalin (Scientologists and conspiracy activists); and obesity treatment medication (because many people think obesity is a moral failing). And the next step is taking moral exemptionism out of the pharmacy and into the marketplace at large.

The days of racial segregation and signs warning "No Indians, No Coloreds, No Irish, No ________ " are at the bottom of that slick slope. Eventually, no one will be spared from the tyranny of the moralists.

--p!

[enki23]

25. strip him of his license. for ethical reasons.

.

[Zorra]

29. Ignorant Republican Fascism. That's it. Do you think an American,

a real democrat, would do something like that?

Not in a million fucking years. Democrats believe in freedom.

Fuck all these republican fundamentalist fascists.

They are evil, and they need to be told that they are evil right to their faces.

Don't back down. Ever.

[Kenneth ken]

30. this story doesn't say

but I hope in addition to suing Walgreen for massive $, the woman also sues the pharmacist for massive $.

This is nothing more nor less than trying to impose forcing one's religion on others.

despicable

[DanCa]

31. serious question

Whatever happened to not taking the damn job? Whats next catholic net selling meat on Friday's during next. Now its good where all mad but lets do something. Call the pharmicie and demand that she be fired. I've had it with these people.

[regnaD kciN]

34. I've got a GREAT idea...

We need to find a pharmacist (preferably retired, for their own sake) who can get a job at Walgreens and then...become a Christian Scientist. The next day, have them announce that, on moral grounds, they cannot fill any perscriptions of any kind! (And then, of course, should they be threatened with termination, reply that it is religious discrimination to fire them while still allowing the "pro-lifer" to continue holding court at the pharmacy counter. Maybe we could get the ACLU to handle said pharmacist's discrimination lawsuit?)

:evilgrin:

[Zhade]

35. Can I just say...

Thank whatever deity you may believe in that those anti-women assholes got flushed out of DU the other day!

Otherwise, we'd have to bear more of their stupid, illogical, anti-woman, anti-freedom, self-righteous, arrogant, judgemental, Neanderthal, moralizing, strawman-laden, hypocritical, lying bullshit arguments as to why this is A-okay.

Fuck them (him, whatever). Good riddance!

[Horse with no Name]

69. Uggh I missed that one

but glad to see them gone.
Gay people are losing their rights daily.
Women's rights are being screwed with.
And the sheeple graze...oblivious to it all, wondering if Paula did sleep with that Idol contestant........

[salib]

36. Cancelled my account there just now

Told them I would no longer do business with a company that has such an awful policy.

[GOPFighter]

49. Good for you

profits is the ONLY language corporations understand.

[Sabriel]

59. Me, too

Walgreen Company Corporate Office

Write or call us at:
200 Wilmot Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
[phone]


Give 'em a call. I just did.

[redqueen]

70. Thanks for the number

Calling now.

My family has used them for years. Not anymore.

[pinniped]

39. Then the A-hole pharmacist should find work at a pharmacy that carries...

none of those types of pills and products.

[cap]

41. when we will organize boycotts of pharmacies that do this???

people can get a lot of prescriptions mail order (the morning after pill is an exception).

I hope the women sues under HIPAA and gets a bundle.

[mtnester]

43. Berating this loudly in front of everyone violates the HIPAA laws

and this woman should file a charge. Pharmacists are covered by this law, and what this pharmacist did was violate the privacy of the patient in a blatant way, and she should file the complaint.

Not to mention all the other reasons this is wrong...however, hitting in the pocketbook seems to be the one thing these corporate bullies understand, so using a HIPAA violation could be a start.

[mcar]

45. This absolutely violates HIPAA

I hope this woman is filing federal complaints and securing an attorney. Her rights of privacy, under HIPAA, were violated.

The problem in these cases is two-fold: not only are these fundie pharmacists refusing to do their jobs on so-called "moral" grounds, they are also taking it upon themselves to proselytize to the women they are refusing to serve. Who the heck are they to preach to someone?

[bleedingheart]

52. you are correct, it is a clear violation of HIPAA

[SheepyMcSheepster]

56. that is a very good point

i wonder if you could even carry it as far as to say that passing judgement on someone by simply denying the drug to them (not berating the patient as in the case) is in violation of HIPAA?

HIPAA might be the way to combat this behaviour.

[Ilsa]

51. I wonder how that pharmacists feels now that she knows her lack of action

caused this woman to actually become pregnant and abort. The woman was trying to be responsible and not have any more children she couldn't afford.

[Samurai_Writer]

53. I just sent Walgreen's this email...

I have been a loyal Walgreen's customer for over 25 years. However, reading this morning that Walgreen's is allowing one of their pharmacists to not only make moral judgements about valid prescriptions, but also allowing that pharmacist to violate HIPAA regulations by broadcasting a patient's medical information in front of several other customers, I am taking my business elsewhere. You can read the story at http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4454234/detail.html

A very disappointed and dissatisfied FORMER customer

[Chovexani]

60. Good for you!

I'm lucky enough to live in an area with TOO MANY pharmacies, but I told those assclowns at Walgreens I'm not shopping there anymore because of this crap. The fascist Fristians want to make us all broodmares for the state...if we don't stop this shit in its tracks you can best believe they'll keep on until the Handmaid's Tale is reality.

It's like the bumper sticker says...keep yer rosaries outta my ovaries! :grr:

[Horse with no Name]

72. What is Walgreen's email addy? eom

[WillParkinson]

83. Go to their website...

http://www.walgreens.com

There's a "Contact Us" button there.

[Geo55]

137. just sent 'em a nice email.......defience an' "customer resignation"

Thanks for the link.

[noamnety]

54. I was about to place a large photo order with them for work

I do some digital photography on the job, and was going to place the print order through them. I guess I'll be bringing my business somewhere else, instead.

[Merope215]

82. Tell them so

These places only understand profits. Make sure they know why you're going elsewhere. (And good on you!)

As a woman, :toast:

[noamnety]

127. I just emailed them

I couldn't find a perfect addressee on their website, so I sent it to investor relations.

Subject: Notification of Boycott

This is to let you know that although I was planning to do a large amount of photography work through Walgreens (I am a photographer doing school portraits), I have decided not to send any more work to Walgreens.

The reason for the boycott is the stance your company has taken on allowing pharmacists to overrule a patient and doctor's private medical decisions.

I cannot think of any other aspect of sales where a retailer is allowed to take away a customer's choice. Car salesmen would be fired if they refused to sell SUVs. I suspect cashiers in your own store would be fired if they refused to sell cigarettes or cosmetics tested on animals for moral reasons.

If a person has issues that interfere with their ability to do their job, the solution is for that person to find a new job that they can perform; the solution should not be that they are allowed to insult customers and leave them without medical care.

Thank you,

xxxxxxxx

[City Lights]

55. Buh-bye Walgreens.

Been nice knowing you.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

106. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

108. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WillParkinson]

58. Thank you! My message to Walgreens on Walgreens.com

I am writing to let you know that I will no longer be using your pharmacy for my prescription needs. Based on the fact that you allow your pharmacists to blatantly discriminate based on their "moral objections" I will find another pharmacy to fill my needs.

I've read the article about why the pharmacist will not dispense "morning after" pills and I have to wonder. If I require medicine will the pharmacist say he/she won't serve me because I'm gay and that's against their moral code?

I'm sorry, their morality and their job are separate issues. If they find they can't do their jobs in the public sector then they should find jobs in the private sector or religious oriented hospitals.

[KansDem]

61. This is getting out of hand...

What if a significant number of Americans decided not to pay their taxes due to "moral reasons?" (contribute to Iraq War; props up fraudulent Administration; etc). We'd be in a shitstorm!

The last I read, these prescriptions are still legal. If the pharmacists don't like doing this, then they can find other work!

[wildflower]

62. Nominated...getting scarier every day. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

64. Sounds like the holy roller pharmacist violated company policy

"If a pharmacist does refuse, we require the pharmacist to pass the prescription on to another pharmacist at that location, or to another pharmacy," a Walgreens spokesman told 12 News.

And if no other pharmacist is on duty???? This article said this pharmacist told the customer to come back later. That doesn't go with what Walgreen's has told their employees. So hopefully this little 'good Catholic' will lose her job.

[meganmonkey]

66. Hmm...where are all the usual detractors on this issue?

Oh, that's right, 'they' went out for pizza :P

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

67. My car mechanic has become Amish

and will no longer work on internal combustion engines. But, he doesn't see why that should affect his employment.

[meganmonkey]

71. Heh heh

Welcome to DU Phoebe!

:toast:

[redqueen]

73. This is terrible... seemingly all the major chains are allowing this.

Anyone know of any that don't treat women like crap?

[One_Life_To_Give]

101. Any that don't require pregnant pharmacists to quit?

Since pregnant women are not allowed to handle certain medications. Hence can't fill all Dr's prescriptions I guess we can't have them working by themselves.

Not that I mean to defend this fundy. It appears she went well over the line. We should expect reasonable accomodation.

[slackmaster]

74. I'd complain to the store manager, fire them, and move on

Unless you live in a very small town there are always other pharmacists.

Would a Muslim or Mormon be allowed to refuse to sell alcohol? Would orthodox Jews be allowed to refuse to sell nonKosher food? Would a religious vegetarian keep their job for refusing to sell meat? Could they get a job at a slaughter house and then be allowed to refuse to work? Why should certain groups be allowed to avoid their job like this?

You're talking about private sector jobs, and customers almost always have the option to move their business elsewhere. The market will take care of this kind of thing.

[HockeyMom]

89. Exactly

Immediately call the store manager and DEMAND another pharmacist fill the prescription according to THEIR policy. If they said another would not be there for hours? I WOULD REFUSE TO LEAVE THE STORE until I got my medication. If that holier than thou pharmacist can create a spectacle, then so can the woman with the prescription.

You know what? Get on the phone and call your local news station. You can bet they would be at that drug store in nothing flat if there was an altercation over this. You can bet that any Walgreen's or CVS would not want to be on the local news with all the NEGATIVE publicity over this.

I am of the generation of women who fought for all of these rights. It makes me so ANGRY that we are now having to fight them all over again. Even though none of this affects me anymore, I, and am sure many of my generation, would be more than willing to help out the younger generation of women if they need us.

You HAVE TO FIGHT BACK. Don't let them push your around.

[One_Life_To_Give]

104. Thats probably what she did

Suspicion only on my part. But this would make more sense to me that the pharmacist berated her after she stated she would not wait xx hours or drive to another store to get her script filled.
(Mind you I live in a blue state so maybe I just don't know WTF is going on in other places. But I can't picture a woman being a pharmacist ofr long. Who when handed a script, reads it, sees it for the Morning after Pill. The looks back at her customer and say "You Murderous Bitch" or some such.)

Best way to support her is for us all to let Wallgreens know they won't be getting our buisiness over this. Heck this woman probably should have called the press on her way over to Walgreens biggest competitor (Brooks?). If their store manager had been on the ball that would make a golden opportunity for free press.

[Shallah Kali]

114. "Unless you live in a very small town there are always other pharmacists"

I used to ignore stuff like this thinking things like that but this is just plain wrong. Laws are being written to protect a group who is trying to impose their religion on our bodies and stores are allowing it. Even if there is another store why should I have to run around town trying to get EC. To add to the urgency the sooner one can take EC the more effective it is. Why should women have to run around to get a legal prescription filled, maybe missing time at work, certainly with better things to do with her time, and with time constraints for when the medication won't do her a bit of? Imagine the rape victims are refused EC. They should not have to wait for the market to correct things, that is if the market will with companies like microsoft running scared from the fundies.

[slackmaster]

129. Have you read the latest news about Microsoft?

Shallah wrote:

...They should not have to wait for the market to correct things, that is if the market will with companies like microsoft running scared from the fundies....

Shallah, don't underestimate the speed with which the market can correct errors in judgement by corporations or individuals.

Microsoft shifts again, backs gay-rights bill

Firm now voicing support for measure after facing criticism
Sarah Kershaw, New York Times

Saturday, May 7, 2005

Microsoft, faced with unrelenting criticism from employees and gay- rights groups over its decision to abandon support of a gay-rights bill in Washington state, reversed course again Friday and announced that it was again in support of it....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/07/MNGS7CLNIT1.DTL

[Arkansas Granny]

78. How far can they take this?

Could a pharmacist refuse to fill a prescription for drugs that specifically target STD's, for example, if he/she thought that you had been infected due to premarital or extramarital sex?

[jukes]

79. emailed them

through website. demanded they fire this SOB for violation of professional ethics & public trust.

[Ambrose]

87. I'm glad I live in Illinois

Link

Illinois requires pharmacists to honor prescriptions.

[Peter1x9]

88. Don't you just like it when people

force their beliefs on others?

:mad:

[daleo]

91. This is stupid.

Doctors don't have the luxury of only tending to the 'righteous', and pharmacists should be held to the same standard. Would this person refuse anti-biotics to someone in prison? Refuse insulin to someone who takes the lord's name in vain (or doesn't capitalize it)?

[insane_cratic_gal]

93. Sounds like they Just declared war

Letter writing campaign anyone? Walgreen, Rite Aide, and anyone else who's worked under the guise needs to step away from the white "wanna be doctor coat." and go to work for a Fundie pharmacy!

It's coming to that, division in communities. Since we spiritual people, agnostic, atheist, Muslim, etc do not belong to the insane slapped upside the head community we should allow them to have their own separate community. Kinda like the "The Village."

They should open their own pharmaceutical drug stores, they can ban contraceptives and hand out absence pamphlets. They can ban Viagra (if you can't get it up, you have absences right there!!! the less of them their are the better.) hand out saltpeter until they 18 and married. They can throw out the morning after pill, allow their raped and molested, teens to have those children. Too bad that Australia is taken, perhaps we can find another deserted island will present itself. =p

[Shallah Kali]

116. Link to NARAL page that lets you email Walgreens, RiteAide, 3 others

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1449274&mesg_id=1449293

[progressoid]

94. I spent over $800 at Walgreen last year. NOT This Year!

Time for a little political action.

[raccoon]

130. Way to go!

I wouldn't buy a package of toilet paper from them now.

[musette_sf]

95. I was just about to pick up my monthly scrips

at Walgreens this weekend. But Dear Husband told me, as I woke up this morning, about this article on DU.

I have transferred the prescriptions to Longs.

I'll be writing a letter to Walgreens this weekend, copying the local store manager, and my senator (Boxer). She's just sent out emails about this unprofessional nonsense, and her work to make sure they can't do this in California.

By the way... for those of you who don't have health insurance, or have crappy health insurance, be aware that Longs accepts AAA cards for prescription discounts! I think it's something like 15%. When a scrip costs $300+, that's a decent chunk of change. Walgreens does not offer the AAA discount.

[mitchum]

96. Not another penny to Walgreen's

[davidinalameda]

97. looks like I'll be getting a new pharmacy

[DarleenMB]

99. A simple solution

Pharmacists are licensed by the state. Any pharmacist who refues to fill a prescription should have their license revoked. Period.

[GiovanniC]

100. This Sort of Thing Makes Me Want to Puke

It's not bad enough that they are not doing their job of putting doctor-prescribed drugs into a bottle and giving them to a patient. They also have to violate what I believe is at least an implied confidentiality between a patient and a pharmacist. For example, I have HSV2 (genital herpes). If I go into a pharmacy for my medication, and the pharmacist made a big, public ordeal about filling my prescription, I would rain hellfire down on that pharmacist and the entire organization they worked for.

Furthermore, in the event that a woman gets pregnant due to a pharmacist failing to do their job, I sure as hell hope they get the bill for 18+ years of caring for a child.

Fuckers.

[Julius Civitatus]

102. BOYCOTT WALLGREENS!

The owners of Wallgreens are either winuts or cowed by wingnuts. They fear the Xtian fundies will boycott their stores, so they cave.

Guess what? They can keep their fundie customers. Everyone else should boycott the Wallgreens pharmacies. See how they like them apples.

[Geo55]

140. Yes, boycott....

BUT let them know......

http://www.walgreens.com
(hit the contact button)

or call

if the bean counters start adding up the loss in revenue ...
they just might see that it will more than equal this pinheads' salary.

[beevul]

103. It goes deeper than anyone thinks.

My fiance was a pharmaceutical tech for aproximately 21 years a "mom and pop" pharmacy. She needed the job until a couple months ago, and no longer works there. She said it was like a weight lifted off her shoulders when she left. Anyhoo...

I can not count the times I have heard stories about the owner (who also happened to be the pharmacist there) talking about how he was going to refuse to fill prescriptions for this "abortion pill" or that "imoral drug". Immoral because his church decided so.
He went to far as to say "If it becomes a forced issue I just won't stock them." He may or may not be within legal rights to do so, but that isn't the point. The point is, this guy has been a pharmacist for over 30 years, yet his religion prevents him from knowing what SOME drugs do. You would hope someone like a pharmacist of 30 years would know better, and educate his church.

Religion is ruling science. Never a good thing. Ever.

[Lars39]

110. Yes!

If a pharmacist is so incompetent that he cannot distinguish between
the fake science the fundies are pushing and what he was taught in
physiology and pharmacology classes, he needs his license yanked.
How is the pharmacist keeping up with new drug interactions?
Just letting the computer do all the thinking? Scary.

[GinaMaria]

105. violation of HIPAA

The feds could get involved.

[Geo55]

141. If this wackjob sounded off....

"WRONGFUL DISCLOSURE OF INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION

"SEC. 1177. (a) OFFENSE.--A person who knowingly and in violation of this part--

"(1) uses or causes to be used a unique health identifier;

"(2) obtains individually identifiable health information relating to an individual; or

"(3) discloses individually identifiable health information to another person,

shall be punished as provided in subsection (b).

"(b) PENALTIES.--A person described in subsection (a) shall--

"(1) be fined not more than $50,000, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both;

[Pissed_Progressive]

107. This is a serious infraction against humanity...

and the word needs to get out immediately. I would hope that even the biggest Jesus Freak/Holy Roller would second-guess the logic of this technician. It's so ironic how many of the fundies "believe in the will of God" but they sure as hell seem believe in decent health care. If the rapture is around the corner, what the fuck do you need a big ass health care provider and PPO?

If a technician can refuse RU-486 now, it will only be a matter of time before they refuse penicillin to your feverish child because Jehovah doctrine dictates as much. Oral birth control, condoms and any product related to intercourse could also become contraband. What about feminine hygiene products? Doesn't it say in the old testament that menstruating women should be kept in a tent/hut away from the rest of tribe for their 5-day dirty affliction?

Human rights are being chipped away faster than they can be established.

The rapture might be right around the corner but it is going to be a lot like Wiemar Germany in the interim.

[Paula Sims]

115. Why should it stop at contraception?

There are many meds out there that can cause abortions, Arthrotec being one of them. Look at the bottle you'll see the silhouette of a pregnant woman with a slash through it signifying that pregnant people shouldn't take it. Will that drug be withheld? What about other drugs that are contraindicated during pregnancy?

I take birth control pills because of Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOS) and have since I was 10 (I'm 40). I have a hard enough time trying to get the insurance company to carry it (I've given up and just pay the $30 per month) and now I have to worry about a pharmacist? What about those in my situation who DON'T have an alternate pharmacy.

The ONLY time this will end is when a fundie gets caught up in it and starts yelling "Have you no decency?"

It's getting scarier and scarier.

Paula

[Book Lover]

117. So, the pharmacist actually made a real abortion happen

And that's being a good Catholic how?

[Shallah Kali]

119. When are these pharmacists going to refuse to work Sundays?

Shouldn't they be keeping the Sabbath holy and all that good stuff like the Commandment says? Will these conscience clauses save their jobs then when they refuse to work on Sundays and other holy days because it is against their religion?

[RamboLiberal]

120. I'm getting sick of this kind of idiocy

Station reporting this story asks for feedback - give it to them.

[e-mail]

[Megahurtz]

121. If you're THAT "religious"

then you shouldn't be working as a pharmacist

Dumbass!

Go get a different job and leave your job for someone who can do it better!!!:grr:

[Canadian Socialist]

122. Morning-after pill will be available without prescription across Canada

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2004/05/18/pill_morning040518.html

OTTAWA - Health Canada is moving to make the morning-after birth control pill available without a prescription in every part of the country.

To work, levonorgestrel, commonly called the morning-after pill, must be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. If used correctly, emergency contraception can cut the risk of pregnancy by as much as 89 per cent.
Pierre Pettigrew (file photo)

"Women facing an emergency need timely access to this type of therapy," Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew said in a statement Tuesday. "Making the drug available in pharmacies without a prescription will help women to prevent unwanted pregnancies."
<snip:
Just a little FYI. I am soooo happy this craziness hasn't, yet, slipped across the border.:toast:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

123. This entire country belongs in a loony bin.

This is getting fucking nuts. Who is this dipstick to judge others (against well-defined admonitions from Christ Himself)? There is no moral right or justification for what happened, and the pharmisist should lose their license at the least and should be charged with slander also.

[Toucano]

135. "I will not help you kill this baby"

To which the proper response is, "There is no baby. That's why I need the prescription, dumbass!"

[Robworld]

136. How do they have so much power?

Pharmacist that refuse to fill prescriptions should be fired immediately

http://www.dumdumgoestothecircus.com/

[Ms. Toad]

139. How would you feel about

A public school biology teacher refusing to teach Intelligent Design (or refusing to stop teaching evolution) under some of the laws/regulations being passed by idiotic school boards recently?

Personally, I would applaud that teacher - and fight to have him/her keep his job.

...But, I am not sure I can distinguish it from these pharmacists. Any suggestions as to why they are different (if they are)?