Birth Control Prescription Rule Challenged

The lawsuit represents five pharmacist indefinately suspended by Walgreen Co. for refusing on religious or moral grounds to dispense the drugs:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/20/national/main1146526.shtml

Good! They should be fired!

Yes, the pharmacists should be fired if they refuse to fill a prescription on moral grounds.


JMHO

tennessee said:

Yes, the pharmacists should be fired if they refuse to fill a prescription on moral grounds.


JMHO

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Exactly! They knew going into the job that birth control is very popular today and not all women use it to keep from getting pregnant, some use it to regulate their monthly cycles or to calm killer cramps.

I think the company should have asked this question BEFORE they hired them.

I wonder how many children these "moral" pharmacists have fostered or adopted?:waitasec:

The new rule was only put into effect last April. So, it seems these pharamcists have had the right to refuse on moral grounds up until last April.
I admire that they are willing to put their careers on the line for something they believe in so strongly.
I hope they do not lose jobs, but rather move to another state that is consistent with their beliefs.

If a person can't do their job, it is an easy choice: Do your job or be fired. I don't see how this pharmacist can "second "guess" my Doctor and not prescribe a medicine that my Doctor feels I require. I a not a Christian so why should Christian beliefs play a part in my medical care.

I certainly am not going to be dictated to by the religious right when it comes to a legally obtained presceiption for a legal use. That would be the only objection if there was some sort of question about the legality of my prescription..

They should become ministers, TV Evangalist, or any other job that would fit in with their beliefs.

But again, their beliefs are not mine and I am not going to go through any hardship like going to another town etc because of someone elses religious beliefs that they want to impose on me. They feel they are in a position to refuse to filll my prescription because of their beliefs, not mine. Boy they certainly have a lot of control over me now don't they.

A Doctor was suspended in Canada for doing the same thing. There is no: Well I don't want to and you can't make me. Yes, we can....you are no longer a Pharmacist and your "buddy" is no longer a Doctor. Because we question the integrity of your beliefs when we feel you can't do your job properly.

Give me a break..........I am sure these MEN felt really powerful and in control of others lives when they refuse to fill the prescritpion.

They should have just done their jobs........please I would have fired them......in a heartbeat.

I wonder if they do the same thing when it comes to divorced men, single men, widowed men and Viagara. Does the pharmacist say: Well you are not married, therefore since I know what this medicine is use for, sorry you are committing a sin of having sex outside of a marriage.

Or was it just women that the pharmacist knew were single.....

It works both ways.........A national chain like Walgreens' just can't pick and choose what prescription they are going to fill or not. Maybe these two men should work for a Christian Phamacist and then put a sign in the window saying:

We believe in double standards and the teaching of Christ. We run our business according to our Christian beliefs. We will not fill any pescription that goes against our teachings and the Church. We will not fill any prescription that we find morally objectinable. We wil choose what if any medicine we will dispense to you. We have no family planning area in our store either.

Come again..........

Yep - don't take a job that expects you to violate your religious beliefs, if you believe strongly enough that you expect to be able to control other people's lives by denying them their prescriptions.

Scientologists as well shouldn't be pharmacists, if they're going to refuse to fill any psychiatric drug prescriptions, and so on and so forth. Religion is what you choose to do and not do - not what you want to enforce on others whether they believe or not.

If a bartender morally refused to serve alcohol they would be fired, if a vegatarian waiter at the steak house morally refused to serve meat they would be fired. IMO do the job you were hired for or find a new job.

Im tired of whiners.

tybee204 said:

If a bartender morally refused to serve alcohol they would be fired, if a vegatarian waiter at the steak house morally refused to serve meat they would be fired. IMO do the job you were hired for or find a new job.

Im tired of whiners.

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:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

dancingdaisy said:

The lawsuit represents five pharmacist indefinately suspended by Walgreen Co. for refusing on religious or moral grounds to dispense the drugs:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/20/national/main1146526.shtml

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Is this about the "morning after" pill or is it about regular birth control? I don't see how these people can win this case. To me it would be illegal to refuse to fill any prescription. I'll be surprised if this ever makes it to court.

Cyberlaw..I am a Christian. However, last time I checked, I was a few hours short of a medical degree. If the doctor says a patient needs or wants BC, I think it is his DUTY to provide what is written. I don't see this as being a "Christian" or not issue. I can't believe one would refuse to fill what a medical doctor prescribes. I think they should be fired for refusing to do their job.

Bobbisangel said:

Is this about the "morning after" pill or is it about regular birth control? I don't see how these people can win this case. To me it would be illegal to refuse to fill any prescription. I'll be surprised if this ever makes it to court.

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It says "emergency contraception". I take that as the morning after pill. I have read recently where a woman had to call over a dozen pharmacies just to get the pill. Most did not have it and at least 2 pharmacist refused to fill it. She was raped.
I don't understand the problem with prescribing it. If you think dispensing a morning after pill to a rape victim to throw off an egg ferilized in the past 24 hrs is that wrong than you don't need to be in a job where your morals conflict with such a serious situation in anothers life that you will not do your job.
If you are hired at a convience store but won't sell beer because you are against alcohol you would be fired.
The pharmacist that won't dispense this medication do it because of their religious beliefs and to me that is discrimination, with serious consequences.

Even still ...

regardless of which pill.
Some cannot have children for medical reasons like a diabetic.
What if an accident happend?

Becba said:

It says "emergency contraception". I take that as the morning after pill. I have read recently where a woman had to call over a dozen pharmacies just to get the pill. Most did not have it and at least 2 pharmacist refused to fill it. She was raped.
I don't understand the problem with prescribing it. If you think dispensing a morning after pill to a rape victim to throw off an egg ferilized in the past 24 hrs is that wrong than you don't need to be in a job where your morals conflict with such a serious situation in anothers life that you will not do your job.
If you are hired at a convience store but won't sell beer because you are against alcohol you would be fired.
The pharmacist that won't dispense this medication do it because of their religious beliefs and to me that is discrimination, with serious consequences.

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I agree Becca.

This isn't a case of people being hired for a job they were unwilling to perform, because when hired they had the ability to refuse to fill a prescription based on moral objection.
I think it is important to note that this is a very new rule and the first of it's kind in the nation. Of course it will be challenged, it 's barely 9 months old. These people are trying to have their original rights restored back to the way they were and they have the right to try and do so. now whether they are successful or not is another story.
>>The Illinois rule, the first of its kind in the nation, requires pharmacies that sell federally approved contraceptives to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control "without delay" if they have the medication in stock. Blagojevich, a Democrat, imposed the rule in April, and it has been permanent since August. <<

With that being said, if the rule does not change, they need to relocate to a store or state that agrees with their values.

I think this is a case of taking a job they were unwilling to perform - the law is recent, but it's just to clarify that you are not allowed to refuse to do that part of your job. If a bunch of scientologists take the job and start refusing some psychiatric meds, they'd be just as wrong, even though it might take awhile to get the law in place to say you can't refuse to fill that either.

I think it's nuts - it's a legal prescription, and no state, no city anywhere will have only one religion, only one belief about drugs throughout the entire population. It's not ever right to force your religious views on another. Especially with the occasional medical or rape cases where 'judge not lest you be judged' fits even better than normally. These idiots refusing to fill the prescription I'm sure do other things that are 'sins' by their religion - there's always something, but somehow they think they are so far above others that they need to enforce their morality.

JBean said:

This isn't a case of people being hired for a job they were unwilling to perform, because when hired they had the ability to refuse to fill a prescription based on moral objection.
I think it is important to note that this is a very new rule and the first of it's kind in the nation. Of course it will be challenged, it 's barely 9 months old. These people are trying to have their original rights restored back to the way they were and they have the right to try and do so. now whether they are successful or not is another story.
>>The Illinois rule, the first of its kind in the nation, requires pharmacies that sell federally approved contraceptives to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control "without delay" if they have the medication in stock. Blagojevich, a Democrat, imposed the rule in April, and it has been permanent since August. <<

With that being said, if the rule does not change, they need to relocate to a store or state that agrees with their values.

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I wonder if the religious right is funding their cases. Although I have some disdain for promiscuity, I would much rather they take the morning after pill, then have more "basically unwanted? children running about without loving families to take care of them. To me, that's the greatest crime of all, and it's the least able part of our society that usually finds themselves in that position. Dispensing free condoms, goes against my core values, but if it helps prevent children who begin life with 2 & 1/2 strikes against them, then it is worthwhile, and I feel the same way about the morning after pill. These moralistic pharmacists need to find a new profession--one that fits with their beliefs. Let's try to figure out what else they might possibly do in lieu of being our local pharmacist---any suggestions out there??? Perhaps they could work in the very low paying positions in group homes helping to take care of those little children of the poor and downtrodden, or on the other end, they could go our local prisons and work with many of the grown-up versions of "basically unwanted" children who began life with 2 & 1/2 strikes against them--perhaps they can make a difference in that way.

JBean said:

This isn't a case of people being hired for a job they were unwilling to perform, because when hired they had the ability to refuse to fill a prescription based on moral objection.
I think it is important to note that this is a very new rule and the first of it's kind in the nation. Of course it will be challenged, it 's barely 9 months old. These people are trying to have their original rights restored back to the way they were and they have the right to try and do so. now whether they are successful or not is another story.
>>The Illinois rule, the first of its kind in the nation, requires pharmacies that sell federally approved contraceptives to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control "without delay" if they have the medication in stock. Blagojevich, a Democrat, imposed the rule in April, and it has been permanent since August. <<

With that being said, if the rule does not change, they need to relocate to a store or state that agrees with their values.

Click to expand...

Their original rights? Where are these rights written that they can decide not to fill prescriptions they have a moral objection too? Was it in their contract? If it was, then their employers were advocating discrimination.