Pharmacists Dispensing Morality

[ST88]

A Law proposed in the Tennessee State Legislature would allow pharmacists the right not to dispense a drug if they had religious or ethical objections to it. The obvious candidates are birth control pills and morning after pills, but the law would apply to any drug or combination of drugs.

The law currently allows pharmacists the right not to provide drugs as they see fit -- as in the case of a mistaken prescription from a doctor. However:

The [American Pharmacists Association] had a policy for years that allows pharmacists to refuse to fill a prescription, but it requires them to make some accommodation for the patient to get the drug. Either they call in another pharmacist within the store or send the prescription to another drugstore to be filled, said Susan Winckler with the APA in Washington.

This law would do away with that requirement in the face of certain laws in other states that would mandate that pharmacists dispense the drugs that a patient came in for.

The actual law in question has a narrower focus, but it brings up some interesting issues.

Questions:
1. Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to dispense otherwise legal drugs based on religious and/or ethical grounds?

2. Doctors have the right not to perform procedures they have ethical objections to. Is medicine a special category in this case, or are there other professions where these issues might apply?

[Johnnycomelately]

My partner works as an assistant in a pharmacy and regularly has to console distressed young women who have been refused the morning after pill by pharmacists who are Muslim or Catholic.

It does rankle somewhat because although we are good at making multiculturalism work this remains, for now, a protestant country. It seems disingenuous for someone whose right to free speech we will defend to the death to take a job where they know it will be neccessary to show disrespect for our views.

I've written to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to ask where they stand on the matter.

[melikio]

Questions:
1. Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to dispense
otherwise legal drugs based on religious and/or
ethical grounds?

2. Doctors have the right not to perform
procedures they have ethical objections to.
Is medicine a special category in this case,
or are there other professions where these
issues might apply?

1. No.

And I'm almost certain that employment contracts
in the near-future will reflect the reality that they
cannot be allowed to deny ANY patient the drug "prescribed"
on the basis provided in the OP.

2. People have to accept that they live in a quite
imperfect and fallen world. And unless they have
full AUTONOMY within their various situations
(none of us does), they must either
sacrifice by standing up for their values,
or accept the requests made of them.

If you ask me, a lot more can be done about
educating people on how to keep their bodies
from getting them into trouble, than can be done
by refusing some person a certain prescription.
If a certain legal drug is prescribed and LEGAL,
the person charged with dispensing that
substance should dispense it.
Likely other more powerful statements about
the "morality" of that drug, could be addressed by
the same person at a different and more-appropriate level.

I mean, where do the MORAL objections to
various medical issues end?
If one is allowed to die with "assistance",
is it right for a suppliers of the chemicals
which "assist" in that, to make the call?

While I really don't agree with abortion; still
I realize that I cannot be responsible for
the choices of people who have sex.
All choices have consequences, and
the best we can do is teach people
about what they'll be facing if they
aren't respoinsible and/or cautious
concerning how they live.
The time/place to DO THAT,
is NOT at the counter, in some local pharmacy.

-Mel-

[Chimp]

Why would they stock the medication if they are not prepared to dispense it?

[doomguard]

Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to dispense otherwise legal drugs based on religious and/or ethical grounds?

1. Privately owned pharmacies (Sole Proprietorships) should be able to make determinations of this nature based on the owners religious or ethical standards. This should be clearly stated in the employment contract for all pharmacists working in the store.
2. Corporate and chain pharmacies should be able to make this determination for all stores in their chain. If one does not dispense, all do not dispense. The only exception would be privately owned franchises. This should be clearly stated in the employment contract for all pharmacists working in the store or in the chain.
3. Legal requirements: 1. Posting signs clearly on outside of store so consumers are informed before submitting their prescriptions. 2. List of stores in the area that will fill these prescriptions to be distributed to customers who are refused.

My only real exception to the above is when there is only one store in a regional area. Many small towns here in Texas only have one pharmacy available. In this situation, laws must be established that make it possible for these prescriptions to be filled either by mail or by the pharmacy in question.

As a libertarian (small l), this seems to me to be the most fair and equitable way to keep personal freedom for the owners (pharmacists), employees (pharmacists), and for the consumers.



2. Doctors have the right not to perform procedures they have ethical objections to. Is medicine a special category in this case, or are there other professions where these issues might apply?

Medicine is already divided into specialties. If a doctor has an issue with abortions or birth control, chances are he did not get his degree in gynecology. If a doctor has an issue with psychiatric drugs, I doubt the degree is in psychology. Even if they did get their degrees in these fields, not performing the procedures required by more than 50% of your patients would be financial suicide.

Pharmacists are not specialized. They just distribute drugs as prescribed by a physician. Even without dispensing birth control or the morning after pill, they are fulfilling a valuable service for the community, medicine for heart patients, and the like. Many Christians will go to pharmacies that do not dispense the drugs in questions, but others will avoid them like plague. I know I would. If I saw the acceptable sign (say a fish on the window) I would go down the street. Let the market decide, I would bet many of these smaller pharmacies go out of business quickly or change their tune as business falls off.

Regards.