Posted on 05/11/2005 11:00:37 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
MILWAUKEE (AP) A mother of six claims a pharmacist refused to fill her prescription for an emergency contraceptive and berated her as a baby-killer, leaving her so traumatized she didn't seek out another pharmacist and ended up having an abortion.
``The pharmacist crossed the line,'' said Tricia Knight, the attorney for the woman. ``It's one thing to conscientiously object. But you cannot intend to inflict emotional harm on a woman when she is making a very important and often very emotional decision in her life.''
The state Department of Regulation and Licensing, which regulates pharmacists and other professionals, opened an investigation into the pharmacist's actions after learning of the incident through news reports last week, said agency spokesman Chris Klein.
Knight said the Milwaukee woman, who is being identified only as Jane Doe, obtained a prescription for the emergency contraceptive in January after a condom broke during sex and she was concerned she might become pregnant. The contraceptive interferes with conception rather than causing an abortion.
She took it to a Walgreen pharmacy, but the pharmacist refused to fill it and berated her within earshot of other customers, Knight said. The customer asked the manager to help her but was told pharmacists make the decisions on such things, she said.
Michael Polson, a spokesman for Walgreen, said the pharmacist's last day of employment was May 3, but he declined to say whether she resigned or was fired. He said the pharmacist had no memory of the incident as described by Knight.
Polson said company policy allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for moral reasons, but they may not discuss their reasons with the customer. They also must notify a manager, who arranges for the prescription to be filled elsewhere, he said.
Last month, the state Pharmacy Examining Board reprimanded a pharmacist who worked at a Kmart pharmacy in Menomonie for refusing to fill a college student's birth control prescription or refer her to another pharmacist, citing religious beliefs.
Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com
Just go to your friendly neighborhood Planned Parenthood, they'll fill it.
Of course not. One should never do the right thing if it might hurt someone else's feelings.
Feeelings . . . nothing more than feeelings . . .
This "emergency contraceptive" or day-after pill is an abortifacient. So the woman just had to get her abortion from somewhere else. Boo-hoo.
My, my...after six kids, you'd think she'd figure out that condoms are NOT reliable birth control.
I'm sure there is simply no way this could be a hoax. Uh uhh.
(steely)
WHAAAA, someone made her feel bad? Grow some friggin balls! (And/or stay away from them, iffin ya knows what I mean...).
So a woman could make up a story like this and find a lawyer and sue? The pharmacist said he had no recollection of it. However, if it was in earshot of other customers, if she got their names and numbers, she would have witnesses. Otherwise, wouldn't it easily turn into a he said/she said?
My, my...after six kids, you'd think she'd figure out that condoms are NOT reliable birth control.
These people don't use condoms for birth control. They use abortion as their birth control.
The easy solution is simply to not stock the drug.
The response is, "I'm sorry, we don't have this in stock. We can order if for you and have it in 2-3 weeks, but then it will not work."
Passive aggressive, but effective.
Yesterday the local news stations showed a protest held at the Walgreens in question by pro-choice zealots. I felt like driving across town and dropping a bit of money at that store just to counter protest in the capitalist tradition!
I bet that the kids have different fathers, too.
The condom broke...yeh, right. How many other abortions has she had and why won't her male friend go to Dr. Stop...Oh, new boyfriend? One on the side, two on the side?
Clever, actually : )
What law supports this statement you lower-than-pond-scum trial attorney?
Probably Catholic. Every Catholic Ive met who follows this line of reasoning has between 5-7 kids. Ugh..
The pharmacist was interviewed on one of the local TV stations last week when this story broke. She IS Catholic ans says that is why she cannot in god faith distribute this form of BC.
Yeah, right.
[Walgreen] company policy allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for moral reasons,
Kudos to Walgreens!!!
but they may not discuss their reasons with the customer. They also must notify a manager, who arranges for the prescription to be filled elsewhere, he said.
Whoops. Pharmacist violated company policy. Pharmacist loses job and exposes employer to lawsuit.
If this pharmacist had followed company policy, maybe everyone would be happy. Or not.
At any rate, I applaud the pharmacist for taking a stand. Now, I trust he is prepared and willing to suffer any remaining consequences to be levied in the courts of the unjust.
god=good
Strange slip of the fingers on that typo!
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