Posted on 12/06/2005 9:50:04 PM PST by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON (BP)--Four Illinois pharmacists have found out there is a price to pay for exercising their pro-life convictions.
The Walgreen Co. placed four of its pharmacists on indefinite, unpaid leave Nov. 28, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The four, all working at Walgreen stores in the Illinois suburbs east of St. Louis, had declined to abide by a state rule that requires pharmacists to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, including the “morning-after” pill, even if it violates their consciences.
Many people with pro-life views consider the “morning-after” pill, also known as emergency contraception, to be an abortifacient because it not only restricts ovulation in a woman but it can act after conception. The method can block implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall, thereby causing an abortion, pro-lifers point out.
Illinois is the only state to have a rule requiring pharmacists to dispense the “morning-after” pill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who issued the rule earlier this year, said after the discipline of the four Walgreen pharmacists, “If a woman has a prescription for contraceptives, they ought to be filling that,” the Post-Dispatch reported.
A Walgreen spokesman told the Post-Dispatch the pharmacists could transfer to a store in Missouri, where such a policy is not in effect.
John Menges, 39, who was removed from his position at an Edwardsville, Ill., store, said it is only a matter of time before Missouri has a rule that “takes away his religious freedoms.”
“I’m not going around the country running from this,” he told the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat.
The pharmacists are hopeful the state’s conscience clause will protect them, according to the Bellevue newspaper.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved prescription use of two brands of the “morning-after” pill, Preven and Plan B. The FDA is considering whether it will permit over-the-counter sale of Plan B without a prescription to women 16 years of age and older.
The “morning-after” pill is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. Under the regimen, a woman takes two pills within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later.
If you are insured, than they should know if that pharmacy plans to not honor medications. I get frustrated with my insurance company, but I would not want an additional inconvenience tacked on of finding a pharmacy that will fill the prescription my physician gave me.
I am speaking broadly here, there are medications that pharmacies will not dispense either for moral reason's or for the safety of their other patients.
Either way, it is the patient who is getting short end of the stick.
I have no doubt this article will stimulate yet another excellent debate on Free Republic.
And what happens if the pharmacy calls your insurance company, and the individual insurance rep on the line has a moral problem with a medicine you're taking and refusing to reimburse you? It's a dangerous road.
ping
If a lib did something like this they would not be able to fire them because of 200 ACLU lawyers crowding the store.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who issued the rule earlier this year
He's passed a lot of things "under the table" since he's been in office, I am hopeful that this is but his ONLY term as governer!
Or more to the point, they're paying a price for being Christians who want to practice what their Church teaches.
Finally some good news about a company using common sense in how it deals with the public. Thank you Walgreen's. These four pharmacists should be fired as all others who try to impose their crazy anti abortion zealotry on a woman's right to control her own body. A pharmacist has No Right to decide which prescription he will or will not fill. If they cannot do that then they should find another line of work. I know the far right Christian people have some phobia about sex, but sex is something people like to have and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing what an adult can legally do. Let me clue you into something : Contraceptives prevent pregnancy thereby eliminating the need for an abortion for an unwanted and unnecessary pregnancy. That is a good thing. Don't impose your religious morality on me or the woman I am with. Now you can attack me.
Just imagine: "My sincere religious belief is that Protestants get ill only because they have not followed correct doctrine. As a Catholic, I refuse to give them any medications." Or switch the denominations around.
Would anyone be justified in such a refusal of medicine?
Sincerety of belief does not releave one of public duty and responsibility.
A pro-life or pro-choice electric company does not have the right to provide or withhold electricity based on their fetishes about who deserves service and who doesn't.
"Freedom of religion" in this case is a false front for anti-social behaviour.
How's a woman supposed to control her own body if her mummy kills her in the womb?
The difference is that the Pharmacist is being made an accessory to murder.
How far are you willing to take this? What if the prescription was filled on-line and mailed to the patient? Would the US Post Office and all of it's employees who were in the chain of custody be accessories to murder? I say fill the script or find a profession that doesn't go against your beliefs. No one is forced you to apply for employment at companies who legally fill prescriptions.
These four pharmacists have been terminated from Wags for not following company policy. Fine. But, the company policy is to follow the law. And that is where the problem lies. The governor has installed an emergency ruling REQUIRING all pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception without delay. This law says nothing about religous or moral beliefs. Those problems we will always encounter, fine, so be it. But, please understand that a pharmacist who doesn't care about those beliefs and would dispense the pill regularly now has his hands tied to do his professional duty. I am a pharmacist, in illinois, and feel appalled that the governor is taking away my pharmacist duty of protecting the patient's safety. We are currently required to do a "prospective drug review" that means we look at other meds the doctor may not know about and her disease states, and current health status, and we then make a professional decision to dispense or intervene. That has been taken away by this quick tempered government. That is the REAL problem, not the religious beliefs. Those are just coming to light because of the primary problem.
Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
Wouldn't that IL woman gubernatorial candidate with the odd hyphenated name also support abortion pills?
I have news for you... the morning-after pill IS NOT A CONTRACEPTIVE! It works by killing a unique human being, early in development, but a human being nonetheless. Contraceptives prevent fertilization, the morning-after pill kills an early embryo, and that's a major difference.
Now you can attack me.
God bless them for not participating in the death of a baby!
The key issue is a fascist governor forcing companies to provide something that will destroy another life. No different really than this governor demanding pharmacists to require dispensation of a date-rape drug.
Point is, medicines should be for healing, not destroying others lives.
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