Should pharmacists be required to fill prescriptions of the morning after pill?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070727/ap_on_he_me/refusing_prescriptions

-It is against their religious belief
-However, they have been hired to distribute medicine that is legal

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

It's a free country. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. You're not even required to perform the duties you're hired to perform. However, should you refuse to perform them for any reason (i.e. protest, laziness, etc.) then you should be prepared to face the consequences.

This isn't a religious issue. This is not a political issue. This is a human resources issue.

Answer 2

My thought is that this is an integral part of the job they were hired to do. A pharmacist knows that dispensing birth control will be a part of the job. I believe a person has the right to make the personal choice to not use birth control if it is against their beliefs but not to impose their view on another which is what happens often when these pharmacists refuse to fill a prescription. I think if you feel that strongly about it then you should probably find another line of work.
The decision to prescribe or not prescribe is one between the patient and doctor. The pharmacist may check with the doctor if their may be a reaction with another med or condition but not moralize their personal belief system on another person. In some of these cases the pharmacist made statements about immorality and refuse to transfer the patient's prescription. This I believe should be grounds for dismal.

Answer 3

This business where people refuse to do their job due to their "religious belief" is ridiculous! A Pharmacist is there to fill prescriptions and dispense medicine to the public. If the Pharmacist doesn't want to do his/her job, then he/she should either quit or find another job.

This also goes against Christ's commandment to treat others as you want to be treated since this Pharmacist would not want to be denied service based on someone else's religious beliefs.

Those who push this idea of not serving customers due to "religious beliefs" should be very careful. This could come back to bite you one day when someone else with whom you disagree uses the same argument against you.

Answer 4

the assumption is to cut back limitations to get admission to for this time-gentle beginning administration selection, to no longer make greater! user-friendly. for the period of the interview technique, they're explicitly asked approximately this and different 'gentle' compounds; this could weed the cranks out straightaway. whilst a given pharmacist is presented a activity, of their employment contract, they connect up the dotted line that sure they're going to dispense. all people who does not prefer to dispense - isn't employed. it is absolute bullshit and fully unacceptable habit. "Then, on October 26, 2000, with very almost no warning, the BC maximum excellent, Ujjal Dosanjh, introduced the regulatory modification were handed with the aid of the Lieutenant Governor by using an Order in Council. taking off December a million, 2000, knowledgeable, qualified pharmacists had autonomous pre- scriptive authority to grant ECs to women folk with no pre- scription from a doctor. On April 2, 2001, the regulatory exchange became into granted statutory authority with the aid of the provincial legislature. the justifications for the main excellent’s surprising legislative action have been in all probability multidimensional and political, as an election became into coming near near. in the time of his speech on October 26, 2000, the main excellent reported: “there is not any reason any lady in British Columbia could face an undesirable being pregnant whilst there's a medically risk-free and helpful selection. we are appearing now to ward off the internal maximum and social expenses of undesirable pregnancies.” He went directly to declare, “Too many women folk for too long have been denied using emergency contra- ception pills because of the fact they couldn’t get them whilst they mandatory them.”

Answer 5

Should deli works be required to slice meat even if they are vegetarians on religious grounds?

Should Muslim taxi drivers be allowed to deny a passenger a ride if they have a (closed) bottle of wine with them?

Should a Mormon casheir have to sell you coffee at starbucks?

You have the right to your religion, you have the right to choose your job. You do not have the right to force others to adhere to your religious principals.

Edit: I think because prescription drugs are federally controlled, and therefore there are limited places for people to get those drugs, those to whom we entrust the duty of distributing those drugs do not have a choice. It's fine to say "you might get fired" if your in NYC and there's a CVS on every corner, but if you're in Buttcrack, Idaho and the only pharmacy for 20 miles is Bill's Christian Pharmacy, then Bill should not have the right to make decisions as to which legal and prescribed drug you are allowed to have. What if Bill decides that leprocy is the result of God's wrath? Does Bill, on moral grounds, have the right to not provide the local leper with prescribed medication? Or what if Bill believes all birth control is a sin? Does he have the right to deny it to little Jenny Schmidt whose cramps are unbareable without it? Who is Bill? Bill is an individual who has convinced the government that he will dispense controlled substances responsibly. Bill isn't the moral compass for all of Buttcrack, Idaho.

Answer 6

My thoughts are that, if they choose to work as a pharmacist, then they must dispense any and all medicines that are requested of them. If they have a moral objection to this, they need to find another line of work.

This would be like a devout Hindu working at Carver's Steak House. The conflict is theirs, therefore they can take steps to avoid this conflict.

Answer 7

I think if they're a private pharmacist, without having any type of relations with the government(besides FDA because...well that's the law) but no funding, medicaid...whatever...then no...

But if they are supported by the government in any way they shouldn't be able to base it on religious beliefs...

Answer 8

If they are hired to perform a service than that service should be filled. If their religious beliefs are clashing with their service than they need to find another profession.

Answer 9

We all have to consider these kinds of ethical implications when we take on a responsibility. It's not the pharmacists place to make these decisions for other people but their responsibility to distribute medication to people when they need it.

I will ring your doorbell and run away!!!

Answer 10

Not all pharmacists can LEGALLY dispense all legal medications... A separate license is required for certain drugs. The license to dispense "Schedule 2" drugs is rather expensive. Not all physicians are licensed to prescribe them and not all pharmacies are licensed to dispense them.

As it is, MOST pharmacies only carry a subset of the available drugs. There are many drugs which are only available at certain pharmacies. There are drugs which, because of their expense, scarcity, or other reasons, are not commonly kept in stock. This is ROUTINE throughout the pharmacy industry.

Are you attempting to FORCE every pharmacy to carry every drug?

This would be like trying to force your local grocer to sell a specific line of salad dressing. What is wrong with a PRIVATE COMPANY telling its customers:

"These are the products we stock. They are the ONLY products available HERE. If you desire A DIFFERENT PRODUCT, please seek it ELSEWHERE."

...OR they could keep a single package behind the counter with an extremely high price tag on it. The markets in this country are supposed to be FREE. That means that a seller has the right to set the prices on products they sell and no government agency can force them to set a particular price... notwithstanding "price gouging" laws which prevent companies from multiplying prices after a disaster, etc. (Like building supplies have to be sold after a hurricane at the same prices they were sold at before it hit.)