From the AP:
A federal judge has suspended Washington state’s requirement that pharmacists sell “morning-after” birth control pills, a victory for druggists who say their moral objections to the drug are being bulldozed by the government.
The full story is here.
A bad ruling – pharmacists today are essentially skilled retailers who may be able to provide important information but who play no role in the prescribing of drugs. And neighborhood, independently owned pharmacies have largely disappeared. In some places, a Wal-Mart pharmacy is a monopoly.
Women who fear they are pregnant may have to seek another source when turned away and there’s no guarantee one is readily locatable. Further, despite the judge’s ruling, many pharmacists who oppose on moral (meaning religious) grounds dispensing this drug also object to referring the woman to another person or business.
This is one of those situations where the law can rightly require a person choose between pursuing his livelihood or sacrificing a job to honor his/her religious tenets.
-Ralph Michael Stein
Well, pharmacists are a tad more than “skilled retailers.” They are LICENSED by the state. As you correctly point out, the law should require a person to choose between their business and their religious beliefs. If they’re not willing to follow the law, pull the license.
I’m sure I’m far from the first person to wonder how this judge might have ruled if the case involved a pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for Viagra. What about a Scientologist pharmacist refusing to dispense psychiatric medication? Or a Christian Scientist pharmacist refusing to dispense any medication at all?
As to Brat’s response, I think the role of pharmacists has changed greatly. At one time, including my youth, much of their time was spent COMPOUNDING Rxs. Today that’s a rarity and pharmacists at the retail level seem to only “mix” meds when there is a need to flavor them, as for kids.
I respect my pharmacists. I take a lot of meds daily and they literally keep me alive. That doesn’t change the fact that the pharmacy plays no role whatsoever in deciding what I take. Yes, they are responsible for insuring accuracy in filling a Rx and as gatekeepers they can and do spot M.D. mistakes but that’s a long way from having any meaningful involvement in treatment choices.