Druggists Sue Over "Morning After Pill"

New Regulations Require Them To Sell Emergency Contraception Despite Personal Beliefs

(CBS/AP)  Pharmacists have sued Washington state over a new regulation that requires them to sell emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill."

In a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday, a pharmacy owner and two pharmacists say the rule that took effect Thursday violates their civil rights by forcing them into choosing between "their livelihoods and their deeply held religious and moral beliefs."

"The stakes really couldn't be much higher," plaintiffs' attorney Kristen Waggoner said.

The state ruled earlier this year that druggists who believe emergency contraceptives are tantamount to abortion cannot stand in the way of a patient's right to the drugs.

The state's Roman Catholic bishops and other opponents predicted a court challenge after the rule was adopted, saying the state was wrongly forcing pharmacists to administer medical treatments they consider immoral.

Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, who brokered a compromise on the contraceptive rule and pressured the state Board of Pharmacy to adopt it, stood behind the regulation Thursday.

"Gov. Gregoire feels the Pharmacy Board went through an extensive public process to come to their decision, and she supports them," spokesman Lars Erickson said.

The plaintiffs are pharmacists Rhonda Mesler and Margo Thelen, and Stormans Inc., the owners of Ralph's Thriftway in Olympia, a grocery store that includes a pharmacy.

Under the new state rule, pharmacists with personal objections to a drug can opt out by getting a co-worker to fill an order. But that applies only if the patient is able to get the prescription in the same pharmacy visit.

An amended legal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle states that Kevin Stormans, who co-owns Ralph's, "believes that Scripture and science support the conclusion that life begins with fertilization. Stormans' religious beliefs prevent him from selling a drug that intentionally terminates innocent life," reports The Olympian newspaper.

In a statement headlined "Rogue Pharmacists Attack Patients' Rights," NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, executive director Karen Cooper declared that "the argument that pharmacists should be allowed to deny patients access to needed medications based solely on their personal beliefs is completely without merit ... Patient access to appropriate care should not be undermined by personal, non-medical judgments.”

Sold as Plan B, emergency contraception is a high dose of the drug found in many regular birth-control pills. It can lower the risk of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

The federal Food and Drug Administration made the morning-after pill available without prescription to adults last year.

[sy2502]

However, I don't support it as a means for people to be promiscuous and have unprotected ***. The pharmacist would not be the cause of the unwanted child in this case. The parents who decided to engage in sexual intercourse did, and I'm pretty sure everyone should know what the consequences of that are by now. If you don't want to take a chance on getting pregnant, then maybe you shouldn't be doing what you're doing.
Posted by willylou11 at 10:40 AM : Jul 28, 2007

Dear god, this is 2007, women have the right to have s-e-x as much as they want and with whomever they want without self-righteous religious nuts waving their bibles at them! And yes, sometimes things don't go by the books, and a woman is going to go for Plan-B the day after. And sure enough, even at the frigging pharmacy she has to endure bible bashing??? There she is, making a responsible choice of not *** up her life and that of a potential child, and she has to get judged and condemned by self-righteous pharmacists. Keep your religions to yourself!

[willylou11]

I was going to post another argument on this subject on here, when it came to me, I have a much better idea. Instead of perpetuating this argument that would never end anyway, I'm just going to agree to disagree on this one. There is nothing that I can say to change any of your opinions, and it's not my right to try and do that anyway. Likewise, there is nothing anyone can say to make me go against my beliefs and how I was raised. So I end with this, your opinions are your opinions, and my opinions are mine, and I thank God we live in a country that so many different people are allowed to freely express different opinions, because that is one of the greatest freedoms of all. AMEN!

[wiccantexan]

Very good Wiccan....rather than try to help FEED them, you'll just keep them from reproducing. What a humanitarian.
Posted by blazercoach1 at 05:42 PM : Jul 27, 2007

Humanitarian: One who is devoted to the promotion of human welfare and the advancement of social reforms.

Thanks for the compliment. I believe that preventing a pregnancy is much more humanitarian than allowing a child to suffer for years from abuse, starvation, neglect etc by a parent who never wanted them.

[grammawhamma]

AMEN!!

[annika1904]

Um, if one has a problem dispensing certain drugs, then maybe that one shouldn't be a pharmacist?
So tired of these ultra-conservative-christians trying to force their opinions down everyone else's throats. Separation of church and state means just that; let's keep BS religion out of BS politics and just do your f***ing job.

[michellem99-2009]

GrammaWhamma, Dear well said. I feel their relgious faith has nothing to do with their duties and they are s'ose to do their duties. Yep. They got no business suing. Very dumb to waste the court's time over nothing. My walk with the Lord Jesus and His Mother are between them and me. What they who is raising the roof over is this nation has sep of state and church. It means just that. Sell the bloody pills and not force their faith on others.Gramma, they best fill yer meds and everybody's as that is their job..DO IT.

[grammawhamma]

For those of you saying it's the pharmacist's right to decide not to fill a prescription there is a simple solution. Those Catholic pharmacists can go work in the pharamcy of a Catholic hospital....they will never have to worry about it then. As far as taking a job at a Walgreen's etc. then they better fill any prescription they are handed regardless of their religious beliefs.

[michellem99-2009]

When did they remove one nation under GOD when place their hand over the heart to face the flag and say it. From the time I stared school in 64 at 10 to 19 at grad. one nation under GOD was said. Oh yes.
So true what does a young female do when she is hunted by some human male animal who is bent on putting his seed in her when she means NO and he won't take no for an answer. She can't fight him off. He does not have the right to violate her person. It is her choice to take that pill. It should not be held from her.

[willylou11]

Obviously some pharmacists are in the wrong job. If they refuse to follow a physician's orders they need to be fired, for cause, immediately.

How dare employees pick and choose what physician orders to follow!

Maybe they ought to be in the clergy of the Roman church so they can rape little boys and brutalyze women and get away with it.
Posted by tucanofulano

This is a common example of a narrow minded person who believes that only their beliefs are right and everyone else is wrong. It is because of people like this that we will never have peace in this world. You are a hate monger and make me sick. Unfortunately this person is entitled to their opinion, and they use it to spread hate. All I can say is, what are you going to do when you have to answer for your actions.

[willylou11]

*Amen!* Druggists dispense drugs--that's the job. It is up to physicians to determine what drug is ordered. Don't want to dispense drugs ordered by a physician? Choose another line of work.

This one should be SIMPLE!

Posted by tmn123

The problem I have with comments like this, and i understand the point your trying to make, but I think it is a double standard. When aethists wanted God taken out of the pledge of allegiance, we didn't say if you don't agree with that, then just don't say, because you don't have to right to impose on other's rights. We changed it and removed the word. And there are examples of this kind of catering for other systems of beliefs and religions. But here we are codemning a group of people for having beliefs of their own because you don't like them. Shouldn't they be given the same rights and freedoms. This is America, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. It is a free country, and one should be allowed to sell what one wants to sell and if one doesn't agree with selling a certain product, they shouldn't have to because a group of narrow-minded naysayers said so.

[willylou11]

what happens if that woman becomes pregnant? I'll tell you, she can sue him for child support! He cause the birth of an unwanted baby!

I will admit that in certain cases, i.e. rape, this medication is necessary. However, I don't support it as a means for people to be promiscuous and have unprotected ***. The pharmacist would not be the cause of the unwanted child in this case. The parents who decided to engage in sexual intercourse did, and I'm pretty sure everyone should know what the consequences of that are by now. If you don't want to take a chance on getting pregnant, then maybe you shouldn't be doing what you're doing. And I think anyone who says having a child ruins their life should be ashamed of themselves. Children are a gift from God. They brighten our lives and our hearts. I have two children and then make me smile, and I would never ever make them feel unwanted no matter how much i wanted to party.

[tmn]

*Amen!* Druggists dispense drugs--that's the job. It is up to physicians to determine what drug is ordered. Don't want to dispense drugs ordered by a physician? Choose another line of work.

This one should be SIMPLE!

[tucano2]

Obviously some pharmacists are in the wrong job. If they refuse to follow a physician's orders they need to be fired, for cause, immediately.

How dare employees pick and choose what physician orders to follow!

Maybe they ought to be in the clergy of the Roman church so they can rape little boys and brutalyze women and get away with it.

[michellem99-2009]

You know you ladies are right. IF THEY WOULD NOT WRITE THEM E.D. MEDS THEN,just maybe they would not have worry about the act or babies so much. As the children are abused,killed,unwanted, they father and can't pay child support. If we as women stand up than men get pissed. Men have your tubes fixed as well. This is off the subjuect don't pet owners have the pet fixed.Yes. For the reason no puppies/kittens. So the human animal can breed and so shouldn't he/she be fixed if the need is there. That is not cold. Having children does not mean every one can or should. There are good parents. In this day woman has to think of her well being before ever a child is born as she is the one carries the unborn and they are costly.

[sjw1253]

I agree with anyone who has said that the druggists should not have gone into the field to begin with if they felt their "religious" beliefs would be compromised if they were to dispense drugs for specific reasons.

I am sure there are many other meds out there that have just as much a question. What about Viagra and all of the E.D. drugs??? How many people have the religious belief that men should not be going out having *** out of wedlock??? Oh - yes - it is different for a man!!! Let them go out and proliferate and leave the woman with all of the responsibilities...

My personal thought is that any druggist who states there religious belief dictates they should not dispense specific drugs... is on a power trip... using their position to enforce their religious beliefs on others...

I can't believe they are allowed to file a suit... It is just as weak as the stupid judge who forced the dry cleaners to spend so much on their defense for losing a pair of $Megamillion pants...

[michellem99-2009]

It may surprise you after this whining over a bloody pill that when yer older and think things thru I did the right thing for me not for..a man,church,or whoever..It is her body ...'Member they took prayer out school in 1954. That fall I was born so there was no prayer,bible class in lessons. NONE. I went from home to home. Used for the aid the foster parents got.They did not care about us. Their message to me *Barbara you got business when your adult have children if you can't give them a home and the basics, None* It hurt to have beena foster child. On top that poorly schooled.
So Dears I am trying save you the pain if your child if you have one don't end up in foster care as no child needs that abuse.

[sy2502]

I wonder what motivated them to become a pharmacist in the first place - was it to be in a place to deny people the drugs they believe are wrong?
Posted by SusanHelit at 07:09 PM : Jul 27, 2007

We have all asked this question several times, but those who defend that pharmacist aren't answering. I also asked why the same pharmacist would sell regular birth control pill and not Plan-B when they are the same thing; again no answer. I guess that unless they can read an answer in their bible they can't answer any question.

[usayesterday]

I guess the Christian Scientist pharmacists are refusing to fill any prescriptions. And, you'll get a stern lecture about how you don't need them.


.....Joking, but see how ridiculous it is.
Posted by sandy19731 at 07:26 PM : Jul 27, 2007
..................


Oh yes sandy, there are SOOO many sarcastic statements I can make about Christian "Science" but I shall refrain.

Religion gives all of us intellectuals something to laugh at. But when their beliefs are imposed on the rest of us, (such as refusing to fill perscriptions), then that's not funny at all! In fact, it is downright dangerous for humanity.

(There are many examples from many religions I can use).

[sandy19731]

Thanks Michelle,
Nice to hear from you.
You make some very important points and we appreciate your unique input.

[michellem99-2009]

So have you ever grew up in foster homes all yer child and teen hood. I did. I was born blind and multi handicapped and still am. So there are ladies who should not bear children for health reasons. All that whining over a bloody pill. Step upto the plate and get yer tubes fixed. Most don't want to raise someone slse'e child and where you think the children go..Yes,Dear foster homes. Every day growing up I heard the same thing plus the abuse. It is not my place to tell a woman to have/not have children, to take/not take the pill,have/not have abortion, and the like. So let each make her choice as she has to live with it,you don't. I am just a poor person.