Did anybody see this on the news recently? I saw it on the news this morning. Apparently an owner of the drug store refuses to sell BC pills and condoms anymore. He said he has the right to refuse to sell anything he does not believe in. Him and his wife have 9 kids. I think this man was in Michigan, but I could be wrong?

What do you all think about this?

By Amecmom on Saturday, August 9, 2008 - 01:41 pm:

Well, considering that there are many other places to buy BC, I guess this man has a right to sell only what he wants to. People who don't like it can go elsewhere. It's no different from Walmart selling only sanitized versions of songs, games, magazines and books.
The consumer rules. If we don't like it, we don't shop there.
Ame

By Hol on Saturday, August 9, 2008 - 08:09 pm:

There was a similar situation here in New England a few years ago. A pharmacist refused to dispense the "morning after" pill in his pharmacy. Since it WAS an independent pharmacy, and owned by him (as opposed to being part of a chain), that was his right. We have an independent pharmacy here in town that refuses to sell cigarettes. They say that it is a contradiction of the whole "wellness" theme of the pharmacy profession.

As Ame said, there are other stores.

By Imamommyx4 on Saturday, August 9, 2008 - 08:45 pm:

Most Boards of Pharmacy in most states...not all... do support that owners choice not necessarily agree but do support owners having a choice. And most of the controversy started with the morning after pill.

By Jackie on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 09:03 am:

I certainly understand that the owner has the right to refuse to sell what he does not believe in. Yet, some birth control pills are prescriped for female problems, not always to prevent pregnancy.

By Luvn29 on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 09:26 am:

I totally agree Jackie. I don't have to worry about getting pregnant, but I still take bcp because of my endometriosis. I would really hate it if I had gone to that pharmacy and had to change because of a medical problem. Seems kind of judgemental to me.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 12:14 pm:

That's exactly the issue! Sheesh! It's not always just for preventing pregnancy.

By Hol on Sunday, August 10, 2008 - 05:30 pm:

No, but it DOES prevent pregnancy, for whatever reason you take it, and it is against that pharmacist's belief system.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 09:12 am:

I understand that a privately owned pharmacy has the right to refuse to sell or handle certain items. And that's fine if there are other pharmacies within a reasonable distance. But, in many rural areas, there is only one pharmacy for a 20 - 50 mile range.

While I respect a person's right to adhere to their belief systems, I have real problems with a pharmacist inserting him/herself in between the doctor and the patient. And, I have read of pharmacists who not only refuse to fill, for instance, "Plan B" prescriptions, but refuse to return the prescription to the patient so she can take it to another pharmacy.

Many chain pharmacies require that if filling a prescription is counter to an individual pharmacist's personal beliefs, that pharmacist give the prescription to another pharmacist to fill. The Dept. of Health & Human Services is now proposing a regulation that will bar hospitals, pharmacists, and all medical service providers from firing a worker who refuses to participate in a procedure or fill a prescription because it relates to abortion OR birth control.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 10:37 am:

I never thought about the pharmacy being the only one you could go to. We have so many pharmacies in Sheboygan, that you could just go somewhere else. If the pharmacist kept the prescription, I would be on the phone to see if the doctor could give me another one.

I also don't think the pharmacist should go between the doctor and the patient.

We go to Walgreens, which is a big chain. We used to have independent pharmacies in town, but I think all except one, have been either bought up by Walgreens or Aurora Healthcare! LOL!

By Rayelle on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 11:50 am:

I agree with Ginny.

By Tarable on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 11:53 am:

I would think there would be a legal issue with the pharmacist keeping the rx... I mean isn't that kinda like stealing?

And I know drs (I have been to some of them) that would have a fit and make me pay a fee to have them rewrite a rx.

I think the pharmacist as long as there are more pharmacies close have the right to decide what they will sell but I do not think that they should be able to keep a rx if they are not going to fill it.

By Ginny~moderator on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 12:07 pm:

Yes, Tara, there might well be a legal issue. But, Plan B, for example, won't do what is intended if not taken within a very short time frame. How long would it take to enforce a patient's legal right to have the written prescription returned? Or to get a new prescription from one's doctor and get it to another pharmacist?

Personally, I am very concerned about the new regulations proposed by HHS. Many legislators and medical experts believe that this proposed regulation not only would bar medical providers from firing people who refused to carry out a legal task, but also actually changes the definition of abortion for federal purposes, at least in HHS, because it includes in the protection the right to refuse to be involved in any birth control methods, including the issuance of birth control prescriptions, implantation of IUDs, sterilization, etc.

By Amecmom on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 05:14 pm:

It is not within a pharmacist's right to keep the script. That is stealing. The pharmacy would need to prominently display signage that they do not fill scripts for BC of any kind for whatever reason. This would eliminate a woman even going to the counter for BC.
For every one pharmacy unwilling to fill a script for BC there will be plenty who will fill BC. As far as being to far away, nothing is far anymore with internet, mail-order and phone order pharmacies. You can get anything in 24 hours.
Any woman who is sexually active and does not wish to become pregnant should have an extra of whatever she is taking should something happen. Also, it is my opinion, she should have Plan B in her possession already, just in case. This eliminates the need to get something in a rush. With any luck, it expires and she has to replace it every few years, but at least she knows no one will be able to stop her from making her own choices.
This whole issue boils down to choice. The pharmacist has the right not to sell or to sell certain products. A person has the right to take or not take certain medications.
The two rights are not incompatible. The patient just needs to plan and to find health care providers compatible with her or his belief system.
Ame

By Tarable on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 06:03 pm:

I guess what I was meaning was that if I walked in unknowingly and gave a pharmacist a script that was for Plan B or BC or any other script and they refused to give it back to me or fill it the I would probably standing right there call the cops. I am pretty sure they would make them give it back... it is not their property to keep, unless they fill it. But if i saw a sign that said they don't fill those then I would find somewhere else to fill it..

I do not believe that these 2 rights should not be withheld from anyone including the independent pharmacist that doesn't want to sell them.