Update: War on Contraception
More news from the front lines in the war on birth control:

The N.C. Board of Pharmacy now allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for "morning after" birth-control pills but requires them to find alternative arrangements for the client.

The new policy comes in response to a battle over emergency contraception that is being waged in drugstores, courthouses and legislative chambers throughout the country.

North Carolina is no exception. A Wake Forest couple was denied some prescribed "morning after" pills, which can be used after intercourse to prevent pregnancy, by a pharmacist at the Kerr Drug store at Wakefield. Recently, Thomas D'Andrea, chief pharmacist for the state's Medicaid program, was ordered to remove his contact information from an anti-abortion Web site for pharmacists.

Jonathan and Lauren Gaines of Wake Forest said they were stunned when James Morgan, a Kerr Drug pharmacist, refused to fill a prescription more than a year ago.

The pharmacist told the married couple his religious beliefs prevented him from filling the order.

Morgan's refusal left Lauren Gaines in tears.

Her husband filed a complaint with the state pharmacy board but withdrew it when Morgan's employment at Kerr Drug was ended.

"There's room for people of good conscience to have their beliefs," Jonathan Gaines said. "But I don't feel they should be in a position to impose their beliefs."

The new policy requires pharmacists who object to the "morning after" drugs to do all they can not to obstruct their delivery.

"That pharmacist has an obligation to find another pharmacist who will fill the order in a timely manner," said David Work, executive director of the pharmacy board.

Last week, three bills were introduced in Congress that essentially convey the same principle. Four states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Dakota -- have passed laws or regulations that allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives. Four other states -- California, Missouri, New Jersey and West Virginia -- are considering legislation that would compel pharmacies to fill any legal prescription.

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina said women are routinely refused "morning after" pills by pharmacists who cite religious objections to abortion. Leigh Ann Robbins, the Planned Parenthood hot line coordinator, said her organization gets one or two calls a month from women complaining they can't get their prescriptions for emergency contraception filled.

Jebus. One or two calls a month. More:

The day after he refused to dispense the drug to Lauren Gaines, Kerr Drug fired him. A company representative wouldn't comment on his case but said pharmacists in Kerr's 105 stores do have a right to refuse to fill a prescription. In those cases, though, it is the pharmacist's responsibility to turn the prescription over to an associate or take the order to another pharmacy.

"It's their obligation to get it filled in a timely manner," said Diane Eliezer, Kerr's director of marketing.

CVS Pharmacy has a nearly identical policy, said Michael DeAngelis, a company spokesman. An Eckerd Drug representative said pharmacists may not refuse to fill a prescription on the basis of any religious, political or moral beliefs.

Morgan said he works at an independent drugstore but would not give its name.

The Gaineses said that another pharmacy filled their prescription but that they wondered how far pharmacists would go in applying their beliefs on the job.

"What the next thing?" asked Jonathan Gaines. "Is a pharmacist not going to fill an AZT prescription for a person with AIDS?" he asked, referring to the drug that inhibits the HIV virus.

Adam Sonfield, an associate with the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive health research and policy analysis in Washington, said that as reproductive technologies develop, some pharmacists might object to future medications, especially drugs for embryonic stem cell treatment.

"It's a rather scary prospect," Sonfield said. "It's not clear where it's going to end."

On a more immediate level, advocates for contraception say there's already a problem. According to the database at Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, 75 percent of pharmacies across the state don't stock "morning after" pills, including Wal-Mart, which has a pharmacy in most locations.

"In small towns, it's of particular concern," said Robbins, the hot-line coordinator. "We need more pharmacies to carry the pills all the time."

Ladies, if you have time this week, send an email or a letter to Eckerd's letting them know you support their policy that forbids pharmacists from imposing their religious beliefs on women seeking to have legal prescriptions filled.

And, as if you needed another one, this is just one more reason NOT to shop at Walmart.
- posted by TJ @ 11:02 AM