Posted on 12/02/2005 8:56:52 AM PST by NYer
(AP) Walgreen Co., the nation's largest drugstore chain by revenue, said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule.
The four cited religious or moral objections to filling prescriptions for the morning-after pill and "have said they would like to maintain their right to refuse to dispense, and in Illinois that is not an option," Walgreen spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said.
A rule imposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in April requires Illinois pharmacies that sell contraceptives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control. Pharmacies that do not fill prescriptions for any type of contraception are not required to follow the rule.
Ed Martin, an attorney for the pharmacists, on Tuesday called the discipline "pretty disturbing" and said they would consider legal action if Walgreen doesn't reconsider.
At least six other pharmacists have sued over the rule, claiming it forces them to violate their religious beliefs. Many of those lawsuits were filed by Americans United for Life, the Chicago public interest law firm with which Martin is affiliated.
The licenses of both a pharmacy and that store's chief pharmacist could be revoked if they don't comply with the Illinois rule, Bruce said.
Walgreen, based in Deerfield, Ill., put the four on leave Monday, Bruce said. She would not identify them. They will remain on unpaid leave "until they either decide to abide by Illinois law or relocate to another state" without such a rule or law.
For example, she said, the company would be willing to help them get licensed in Missouri and they could work for Walgreen there.
Walgreen policy says pharmacists can refuse to fill prescriptions to which they are morally opposed, except where state law prohibits, but they must take steps to have the prescription filled by another pharmacist or store, Bruce said.
Bruce said Wednesday the four pharmacists were the first Walgreen had disciplined under the state's rule. Walgreen has 488 stores in Illinois, out of about 5,000 nationwide, with generally three to five pharmacists employed at each one.
It was not clear whether other large pharmacy chains had taken similar action.
Jean Coutu Group Inc., which owns more than 1,900 Eckerd and Brooks stores, requires its pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, spokeswoman Helene Bisson said. But she wouldn't say if Jean Coutu has taken action similar to Walgreen.
CVS Corp., the nation's largest retail pharmacy as measured by number of stores, did not immediately return calls.
You are saying, in effect, that
Pro-life pharmacists are already chosing to avoid plenty of jobs related to their field
Those pro-life pharmacists are already avoiding jobs for companies that kill embryos, do cloning, work on abortifacients, etc.
Pharmacies are not, primarily, in business to kill. Most of the pharmacies' products promote health, not death.
The Illinois rule makes no sense because
1. dispensing the morning after pills is a very small part of the business in a typical pharmacy and
2. the Governor added that wierd stipulation about the rule applying to pharmacies that sell contraceptives.
Does the governor's rule apply to pharmacies that dispense condoms? Does it apply to pharmacies that dispense contraceptive foam? Does it apply to pharmacies that sell sponges?
What connection does the governor find between contraception and "offing" a small human?
The obvious arbitrariness of the governments' decisions should be a tip off that this trend toward interference is bad news.
Why are you acting like I agree with this stupid rule from this horrid govenor?
Go read my posts. My position is clear.
Sorry. I'm questioning the idea that the pharmacists should quietly slink away to another job.
I don't think they should quietly slink away.
I think they should noisily quit and leave Illinois with a shortage of phamacists, putting a sign up on the door, "For complaints, call Gov. at this #"
>>Why are you acting like I agree with this stupid rule from this horrid govenor?
You are on the same side as me, but you got your facts wrong in this post: (which is why people on your side are arguing with you.)
>>Or rather, don't become an employee of WalGreens.
>>Go work for (or own) a pharmacy that shares your views.
Wallgreens has no such rule. It is a state law. Even if you owned your own pharmacy the state would take away your license if you did not give out this particular product. Also, pharmacists employees Walgreens in other states are free to not dispense these drugs.
Good idea!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.