Here is a link to an interesting story.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-08-druggists-pill_x.htm

I could support these pharmacists right to exercise their religous beliefs. It would be acceptable for a pharmacist to refuse to dispense a medication that contradicts his religous beliefs. What is unacceptable to me in the cases cited in this article is the refusal to transfer the perscription. That is imposing your religous views on another individual who does not share them. Birth control is not illegal, and a patient and her doctor have decided the perscription is appropriate. It is not the right of anyone to insist that others must share their religous beliefs.

Disagree imagineer ... that pharmacist took an oath ... now (s)he must honor that oath or get out of the profession.

Dop

Originally posted by Imagineer
I could support these pharmacists right to exercise their religous beliefs. It would be acceptable for a pharmacist to refuse to dispense a medication that contradicts his religous beliefs. What is unacceptable to me in the cases cited in this article is the refusal to transfer the perscription.

I agree completely. Although any pharmacy employing a pharmacist that won't dispense certain drugs damn well better have a back up system for getting me that prescription or I'll take my business elsewhere.

Refusing to transfer or give back the prescription is completely unjustifiable.

If this religious whackjob had pulled this crap on me or a member of my family he's be looking for a new set of kneecaps.

Here's another fundametalist bushbot ... now tell me who was responsible for 9/11 ... ROTF

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=89981

I have read the article, very interesting and actually I have seen the same in Spain.

I think a pharmacist has the right to do not fill a birth-control prescription if it goes against his/her beliefs, but there should be a sign about this issue so clients can go to another pharmacist. And if they loose business due to that, it's their own fault. Of course, if that happens in a small twon, then there is a problem and someone should make sure women have access to birth-control.
What I see is that is ilegal and inmoral to not transfer or return the prescription, that's imposing in others their beliefs and that's not right, specially in this cases of invidual freedom.

This is bullshit. If you cant do your job because of religion find another job.

What if this was a muslim woman who was hired to be a stripper then refused to do such on religious grounds?

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
If this religious whackjob had pulled this crap on me or a member of my family he's be looking for a new set of kneecaps.

Oh great - "if you don't give me birth control I'm going to hurt you." Nice.

Originally posted by 500lbguerilla
What if this was a muslim woman who was hired to be a stripper then refused to do such on religious grounds?

Not quite the same - a better analogy would be a person that strips, but won't do table dances, or refuses to take of her thong or something. One is a complete unwillingness to do the job and one is unwilling to do a part of the job.

I still think it's between the pharmacy and the pharmacist. I wouldn't go to a pharmacy that makes value judgments about what I'm buying, but if they want to do it that's their right. They'll just lose my business.

The wackjob that refused to fill the prescription, transfer it, or return it should get lose their license though. I have no problem with that.

Out of curiosity, what would everything think about a pharmacy that instead of refusing to fill birth control scripts, just didn't carry the product at all, and made that fact clear in their ads and at the store entrance?

Originally posted by LionelHutz
Out of curiosity, what would everything think about a pharmacy that instead of refusing to fill birth control scripts, just didn't carry the product at all, and made that fact clear in their ads and at the store entrance?
::shrugs:: It's their store. I wouldn't care.

I'm not real big on telling anyone what to do. If someone doesn't want to fill a subscription or transfer for any reason, that's their business. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. It's America, jeez.

Originally posted by Karankawa
I'm not real big on telling anyone what to do. If someone doesn't want to fill a subscription or transfer for any reason, that's their business. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. It's America, jeez.
True, but somebody should have told that one to this guy:

"In Madison, Wis., a pharmacist faces possible disciplinary action by the state pharmacy board for refusing to transfer a woman's prescription for birth-control pills to another druggist or to give the slip back to her. He would not refill it because of his religious views."

Not only that, but the woman missed taking one of her pills because of this. What I really don't understand is these people who are against both birth control and abortion. If you don't have birth control, abortion rates WILL go up. It's simple common sense.

I remember The Daily Show did something on this a little while ago. Stephen Colbert said something along the lines of, "According to this pharmacist, you can create life by just THINKING about sex! That means the average male creates life every seven seconds. Ohh...there goes another one..."

The pharmacist has the right to refuse to fill the script for religious reasons. They do not have the right to withhold the script or not to pass the script on to another that will fill it. She should be charged and perhaps even lose her license.

I believe it would be up to the owner of the drugstore to ensure all pharmaceutical requests were met. They did not screen well when hiring and obviously had no back up therefore they too should be held accountable.

Also the signs the girls were holding were a tad over the top.

If this pharmacist was working in my store he would be looking for another job.

What if his religious beliefs were against heart medication? or high blood presure medication? What if a patient dies or becomes ill because he is refusing to fill a prescription that was legally written by a doctor? Birth control pills are written for other things besides birth control.

Pharmacies are places that dispense prescription drugs. Not "certain" prescription drugs or "some" prescription drugs, but ALL prescription drugs.

I for one would not want to have to take my prescriptions to two or three pharmacies because they each had a different list that they wont fill.

Originally posted by Echo2

Birth control pills are written for other things besides birth control.


Exactly. But maybe some people's religious beliefs are against getting rid of acne or something.

I'm with Echo and Guerilla and Dop. If you took an oath to be a pharmacist, you simply cannot pick and choose which prescriptions you are supposed to (paid to) fill. That is utter crap. My religious beliefs are just that - MINE. Your religious beliefs are just that - YOURS. Do not expect me to waiver in my beliefs to satisfy you or vice versa. If you cannot perform the job -don't take the oath that you can, and don't come crying when your ass gets sent packing to the unemployment line.

This person was walking on thin ice by withholding a script that didn't even belong to her in the first place.

I'm not sure about this (Yeah I know, dop not sure???) so someone in the know please shed some light on the fact that parmacists take an oath of ethics similar to doctors, psychs, shrinks etc etc.

If he did and then refused to serve a person for any reason whatsoever, he should lose his license. I'm assuming they are also licensed under the auspices of a medical examiners board or similar.

How about if it was a fireman at the scene of the fire and a woman needs to be rescued. Let's make that a single woman and while in her bedroom getting ready to carry her out, the fireman notices her birth control on the night stand.

He decides to leave her behind based on his religious convictions.

Is that OK too?

Dop

On one hand, I think its ok for someone to rfuse to fill a perscription based on religous reasons, but obviously not to withhold the perscription or refuse to hand it to another pharmacist. on the other hand, women are put in a position of vulnerability if they can;t get a persciption filled anywhere near where they live. it's essential that women always have a way of getting birht control, and there are many towns where there is only one pharmacy. based on that, I think that parto f licensing for a pharmcist shoul be that they have to fill any perscription, regardless. in this case, i think it is far more important that birth control be available than that a few people end up not becoming pharmacists.
also, birth control pills can help with acne, and regulate menstrual cycles and make them less painful for women. they just introduced one that allows you to only have your period four times a year, and I'm sre that most of the other women on this board would agree with me that the medication sounds quite attarctive.

Hmmm. Good point Dop. Very thought provoking.

Oath of a Pharmacist
At this time, I vow to devote my professional life to the service of all humankind through the profession of pharmacy.

I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of human suffering my primary concerns.

I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal drug therapy outcomes for the patients I serve.

I will keep abreast of developments and maintain professional competency in my profession of pharmacy.

I will maintain the highest principles of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.

I will embrace and advocate change in the profession of pharmacy that improves patient care.

I take these vows voluntarily with the full realization of the responsibility with which I am entrusted by the public.

Developed by the American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Students of Pharmacy/American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans (APhA-ASP/AACP-COD) Task Force on Professionalism; June 26, 1994

From University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/handbook/appendix/a.html)

A little more in depth look at the oath.

Thanks Cricket for the research -- good stuff.

If it comes from the University of Arizona I have to with it ... there is only one thing they do better than medicine and that's basketball.

Go Wildcats

Dop

Originally posted by Karankawa
I'm not real big on telling anyone what to do. If someone doesn't want to fill a subscription or transfer for any reason, that's their business. If you don't like it, go somewhere else.
You mean like somewhere the big-pharmas aren't allowed to blow a major-portion of their budget on advertising??? (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B3D17B44-6079-4AE6-8A83-BA350F6A5D13.htm)

*

"It's improper for hospitals and pharmaceutical enterprises to put up ads at the patients' expenses."

Late last year, the State Food and Drugs Administration said 95% of advertisements for medicine in newspapers were illegal.

Many of them were for prescription drugs, which are only supposed to be published in professional medical journals, according to China's advertising laws.

TV commercials for drugs were also highly untrustworthy, said a study conducted by the administration.

Gao said his ministry was drafting a proposal to the State Council, China's cabinet, to ban medical advertisements."

*

".....fill a subscription....."??????? ;)

Originally posted by sputnik
Not only that, but the woman missed taking one of her pills because of this. What I really don't understand is these people who are against both birth control and abortion.
No doubt........no matter how the pregnancy occurred!!! (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/4123767/detail.html) :@@:

"Democratic Rep. Betty Boyd proposed a bill Monday that would require all hospitals to inform sexual assault victims of the availability of emergency contraception. (http://www.emergencybirthcontrol.org/content_whatEBCis.htm)

The bill had been introduced the past two years but both times the bill died in a Senate committee. Proponents are hopeful this year since there is a majority of Democrats in the Legislature, and say the bill will be beneficial to the 300,000 women who are sexually assaulted every year in America because it gives a woman the needed information to make a decision about what is best for her.

Of the 300,000 women assaulted every year, between 25,000 and 32,000 become pregnant as a result, 7NEWS reported."

Filling a prescription is part of a pharmacist's job and if they don't want to do it, they need to haul ass and find another job. Nuff said. :mad: