The Drug Isn't The Only "Pill" Here

I don’t think I’ve ever posted on this topic, but I honestly don’t understand how pharmacists are allowed to get away without selling the Plan B “morning-after pill” that has about an 89-percent success rate in preventing conception when taken within a 72-hour timeframe after intercourse.

Oh, I’m very familiar with the religious and moral beliefs on the part of people who object to Plan B. And that’s a little surprising to me, actually, since the people who feel this way are usually anti-choice zealots who believe that a woman’s uterus is community property. They of all people should be happy to hear about something that reduces the possibility of an abortion.

I was reminded of this by this story of a lawsuit by pharmacists in Washington State who object to filling prescriptions for the pill on moral and religious grounds (I don’t know of anyone in any occupation, by the way, who has ever filed suit for being told to do their job unless some kind of discrimination or harassment was involved). Also, this story from Tony Pugh at McClatchy provides more background, including the fact that compliance on this by pharmacists seems to be very inconsistent across the country.

Also, this story about a study in Jacksonville, FL that tried to determine women’s access to emergency contraception yielded some interesting (I thought) information also, including the following…

“The reasons most commonly cited by pharmacists for not carrying Plan B were lack of demand and short expiration time. Three pharmacists cited personal beliefs as the reason for not carrying or dispensing Plan B. None of the pharmacists cited store policy as the reason for not carrying the medication.”

But for those who refuse to dispense the drug because of their beliefs, I though John at Americablog had some interesting thoughts (regarding Target’s decision to allow pharmacists not to fill prescriptions for Plan B - here)…

Target is now claiming - quite incredibly - that its employees' religious fanaticism is covered the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Yes, apparently Target employees are allowed to not sell you things based on THEIR religion. That's an absurd, and rather dangerous, legal statement from Target.

So let's ask Target if they also support the following Target employees:

- Check out clerks who verify how fat you are before selling you that package of potato chips?
- Pharmacists who don't want to fill prescriptions for Jewish customers who killed Christ.
- Pharmacists who don't want to help customers who worship a "Satanic counterfeit" (read: "The Pope," in fundie-speak).
- Pharmacists who only dispense HIV medicine to "innocent victims" of AIDS.
- Pharmacists who want proof that women seeking emergency contraception were really raped, and that they didn't "deserve it."
- Pharmacists (or cashiers) who are Christian Scientists - can they refuse to sell any medicine, even aspirin, to anyone?
- Pharmacists who won't sell birth control pills to unmarried women, condoms to unmarried men, or any birth control at all because God doesn't want people spilling their seed.
- Can fundamentalist Christian employees refuse to interact with gay people in any way, shape or form since gays are sinners, abominations, biological errors, and very likely pedophiles?

This is one issue that, to me, is very simple.

Pharmacists get paid to fill prescriptions. They should do their jobs and leave any other considerations out of the picture.