Should Pharmacists Be Allowed to Refuse Dispensing Birth Control Pills on Moral Grounds?
by www.SixWise.com
At the end of last week's SixWise.com article, Should
Pharmacists Be Allowed to Refuse Dispensing Birth Control
Pills on Moral Grounds?, we asked you to submit your own
views on this issue.
And wow, did we ever get your views!
With the amount of responses we received, we could have filled
a book ... and if we did fill a book, it is obvious we'd
have to call it "What Divides America, What Unites America."
The responses reflect many of the most serious schisms dividing
the American people today. Due to the volume of responses
we could not reprint them all, but you are highly encouraged
to review the selected responses below as you'll see the differing
viewpoints are really commentaries on some of the biggest
and most important questions facing our society (or any society),
such as:
-
What is morality? Who defines it?
-
What is choice? Where should it begin and end?
-
To what extent are professionals bound by the codes and
expectations of their position versus their own personal
codes and expectations?
-
What is "medicine," and who gets to decide?
Interestingly as you'll discover by reading some responses
below, those who said pharmacists should be allowed to and
those who said they should not be allowed to often used very
similar arguments to support their different conclusions.
Consider these excerpts of two different responses:
|
Excerpt of One Response: "Yes, a pharmacist
should have the right to refuse if they prefer. The
customer has the right to buy where they prefer. This
is not a communist or socialist country and I am angered
at the push in that direction."
Excerpt of a Different Response: "NO! Maybe
those pharmacists would be happier in a communist country
or a country where women have no rights. Who are they
to force their beliefs on someone else."
|
Another good example of using the same argument to make opposing
viewpoints is the comparison of those in other careers making
a choice similar to the pharmacists:
|
Excerpt of One Response: "I totally agree with
pharmacists not dispensing birth control pills if they
are against it. It would be sort of like forcing a doctor
to perform an abortion if he did not believe in it."
Excerpt of a Different Response: What if a police
officer personally believes that stealing from the rich
to give to the poor like Robin Hood is "moral,"
the right thing to do - and therefore lets some poor
criminal break into a well-to-do person's home?
|
You'll find multiple other such examples below. You'll also
find a range of emotions. No matter what your personal views
or emotions on this issue may be, though, we ask you to remember
these three important points before reading (and granted,
these are just our own opinions, as well):
-
Perhaps the key tenet of Christ - and a central tenet
to every other major world religion (and every major philosophic
school, for that matter) - is the supreme importance of
compassion, understanding and forgiveness ... it is
easy to achieve this for those who are like us, but the
challenge is in achieving this for those who aren't like
us.
-
We live in a nation where we are fortunate enough to
be able to present our opinions out loud, in a public
forum like Sixwise.com, without fear of very serious reprisal
that people in many other countries could face.
-
If you care deeply about this or any issue, you can
do something about it! This starts with personal responsibility,
meaning "practicing what you preach." But it
also entails spreading the message - meaning, for example,
forwarding this article page on to others with your own
opinion atop the article. Finally, of course, it also
means telling your elected officials how you feel, including
how you want them to vote (as a bill on this issue will
be coming up soon - see
this article)
For these three reasons - and despite the apparent differences,
often extreme, you'll see below - we remain very much united.
Do You Think Pharmacists
Should Be Allowed to
Refuse Dispensing Birth Control Pills on Moral Grounds?
Select SixWise Reader Responses
Yes, pharmacists should be allowed to refuse dispensing birth
control pills on moral grounds. Without morals, our people
will perish.
-- Anonymous
I am sure a number of people will respond that pharmacists
should have the right to decide whether or not to dispense
birth control on "moral" grounds. But usually the
people supporting that "right" tend to mean only
if it agrees with their own personal morality, as in "I
support your right to say and do what your feel is right ...
as long as it agrees with what I think is right!"
What if a physician believes that euthanasia is "moral"
and therefore - because they believe it is right - euthanizes
an unconscious and dying patient though they have no idea
whether that person or their loved ones would have made the
same choice?
What if a police officer personally believes that stealing
from the rich to give to the poor like Robin Hood is "moral,"
the right thing to do - and therefore lets some poor criminal
break into a well-to-do person's home?
What if a school principal personally believes that marijuana
should be legal, and therefore routinely lets the students
smoke it in the back of the school?
Professionals in all fields abide by certain established
codes and public expectations. If they do not personally believe
in those codes, they have two choices: 1) they can work to
effect a change in the code through the professional organizations
and businesses that represent them (while still performing
their duties as required under that code); 2) as a citizen
of their country, state, county, etc., they can work to effect
a change in the overriding law (for example, working to make
birth control illegal or marijuana legal), which would then
force a change in the professional code.
But the one thing they cannot do - and they should lose their
jobs if they do - is by their actions violate the codes and
established expectations of their professional position. Because
then they are violating the public trust and security, and
that is a first serious step toward the breakdown of a society.
Or in other words, do you want to trust that your police
will uphold the law, whether or not they personally agree
with it? Your firemen? Your banker? Your airline pilot?
-- Gina H., Des Moines, IA
I totally agree with pharmacists not dispensing birth control
pills if they are against it. It would be sort of like forcing
a doctor to perform an abortion if he did not believe in it.
We have pharmacy groups in our very Catholic south Louisiana
town that don't dispense those items. We also have one doctor
that I know of in town who does not write prescriptions for
birth control pills. Instead he teaches Natural Family Planning
and travels nationwide educating others on the Catholic churches
teachings on the subject.
-- Dana Normand, LA
I go to a pharmacist to get prescriptions filled, not moral
guidance. If a pharmacist has "moral" objections
to dispensing legally prescribed drugs, they are in the wrong
business. I resent the conservative politics behind legislation
such as this.
Actually, I don't think I should have much opinion in this
as I am not a woman. It is a woman's choice whether or not
to use birth control methods. Her body, her choice.
-- Justin Stephens, TX
YES! Pharmacists should be allowed to run their businesses
according to their consciences, values, and with the freedom
that all responsible businessmen and women should be allowed
according to the U.S. Constitution.
Customers and doctors who think otherwise forget that not
all pharmacies have the space for every drug which has come
out in the past 50 yrs. So, like it or not, customers always
have to shop around to find some drugs. I know, I've had to
do so --example, Timely-T3, a thyroid medication by prescription.
In a 2 county vicinity, only one store carried it, the Walgreen's
which is an inconvenient 50 mile round trip by car. No buses
available.
--Ms. Reed, FL
I applaud anyone who knows who they are and has a strong
belief system. It is the foundation for self determination
and an expression of what is right and wrong for ourselves.
But, if history is any indication of what is right or wrong
for humanity than we must heed its cautionary tale.
Judging others through the filter of our own beliefs is extremely
dangerous. The world's worst atrocities have taken place on
moral ground: black slavery, the extermination of the first
American people, Rwanda, Bosnia, the killing fields of Cambodia,
the Salem Witch trials, the Holocaust and Inquisition, the
eradication of peoples, cultures, species (plant and animal)
happened because some one held their beliefs as a priority
to all other living things. We too often convict with our
convictions when the only things we need be convicted to is
empathy compassion and tolerance. These are the true convictions
to LIFE.
-- Maria Gillem, Washington DC
I find the act of refusing to fill a prescription based on
moral grounds extremely reprehensible. A pharmacist is bound
to provide services to anyone with a prescription, as long
as they feel the script is not fraudulent. I personally feel
that Ritalin should not be given to children under any circumstances
because it may interfere with their brain development. I also
find the wholesale prescribing anti-depressants to be disturbing
given the clinical studies that indicate their health risks.
That would not give me the right to withhold Ritalin of Zoloft
or any other drug from an adult presenting a prescription
if I were the dispensing pharmacist.
It is a slippery slope wherein I can approve or disapprove
at random what medication I think is appropriate or to whom
I will give it. It seems like thinly veiled prejudice at the
very least and unethical. Would I have the right to withhold
services to a group of people based on their gender, ethnicity
or religious beliefs? Last time I checked, birth control pills
were legal with a prescription.
I am very curious to see how others view this.
-- Karen
Yes, I most certainly do believe that pharmacists should
be allowed to refuse dispensing birth control pills on moral
grounds. Some birth controls are abortificants and therefore
are murder of the unborn.
-- Jeanette Kremer, Epworth, IA
I once worked for a medical practice of 2 doctors. One would
not give an Rx for birth control pills to his patients because
of his Catholic beliefs, BUT he simply sent them down the
hall to his partner who wrote the Rx. It sounds hypocritical
to me, but at least it worked for his patients.
-- Anonymous
Absolutely....We live in a country where there should be
that kind of freedom... Come on, there are thousands of pharmacies.
However, it might make sense for a pharmacy to state their
beliefs upfront...or a pharmacist to work somewhere where
their beliefs would be respected. If a pharmacist works where
a pharmacy supplies the drug, then another employee should
do it. But the freedom to act on your moral conscience is
key.
-- Anonymous
I think they should just do their job accurately and professionally
without moralizing.
Should paramedics, doctors, nurses, firefighters and others
be allowed to judge which fires to put out??? Where does it
end?
-- Chris
YES, everyone should have the right to refuse to participate
what causes the killing of an unborn child. The Pill makes
the womb a hostile environment for a child, and many do not
survive (some do though!). Perhaps they can use the opportunity
to empower women by giving them information on Natural Family
Planning, which is more effective than the Pill, and does
not have any side effects!
-- Janet B. Cook, dJM Mesa, AZ
No, they should not get into the pharmacy business if they
have moral objections to some medications. What if a pharmacist
had a moral dilemma to antibiotics? (That is not so far off
as over use of antibiotics creates chaos with resistant bacteria)
-- Anonymous
Absolutely. No one can be forced to act against right conscience.
The Pill used as birth control is not "medicine".
-- Anonymous
Pharmacies may be private businesses but they function as
essential providers of medical services. The public has little
choice but to use their services if they subscribe to allopathic
treatment. As such, these pharmacies have an obligation to
fulfill the prescriptions presented to them. It is not as
if women can go to another vendor, for example, a clothing
or hardware store to get their prescriptions filled. So, as
a monopolistic medical vendor, pharmacies have an obligation
to meet their license requirements as vendors of prescribed
substances.
In other professions, people usually have to make a choice.
They tend to quit their profession if there are things that
are abhorrent to them, or they make peace with themselves
that they must accept performing in ways that they may not
personally prefer. As to moralizing to customers--well that
is the height of hubris. Why is it that radical fanatics always
feel they have the answers for everyone. What arrogance! What
disrespect for others. And what incredible lack of human sensitivity
or compassion. Hmmm...maybe there should be some ethical requirement
attached to the licensing of pharmacists, just as there is
with other professions.
-- Anonymous
Yes I think Pharmacists should be allowed to refuse dispensing
Birth Control pills and any other pill that potentially could
kill another human being. This issue has clouded the FACT
that some of these pills are killing unborn babies. Do people
really want murder to go on unchallenged? Passing a bill to
prevent this is unconstitutional. These patients who find
their pharmacist refusing to dispense the pill on moral grounds
should thank God that someone made them think about their
choice and behavior. Our society has reached a point where
no one wants to be told they can not do whatever feels good.
-- Starr, GA
Absolutely! It is wrong, morally, socially, politically and
legally to force someone to commit an act that they feel is
violative of their moral convictions. Compare this: Do you
think women should be allowed to refuse sex with any man or
moral grounds? I would hope that you would say yes, absolutely.
But the two are different, you might exclaim. But, in essence,
they are not. If we are to consider that a person should not
be compelled to violate a personal moral in one case, we must
continue that same thought to another. Any pharmacist who
has a moral objection to doing something has a right to refuse
to participate in that objectionable act, based on his/her
moral ground.
-- Richard A. Marks, Libertarian
ABSOLUTLEY NO!!! Should a Catholic mechanic be allowed to
refuse service to a Protestant car owner?
-- Brian Kearney, Wilmington NC
To anyone who believes that pharmacist have a moral right
to choose not to fill a prescription for birth control, I
would like to remark that all pharmaceuticals intercede in
life's cycle. How many drug addicts do you father with the
prescriptions you fill? How many suicides have occurred, intentional
or induced by side affects of the drugs you dispense? How
many elderly are living in substandard conditions because
they cannot afford to live after they purchase their prescriptions?
If you want to stand on moral ground, knowing what we all
know about the business of Pharmaceuticals today, your battle
should be with what the drug companies and their morality.
-- Maria Gillem, Washington DC
Absolutely, they should be able to refuse to dispense birth
control pills (morning after pills). They must answer to God
for their actions, not to the state. The customer can go to
another pharmacist.
-- Anonymous
No. It is not their job to judge the morality of the RX.
If they want to preach, they can go to a seminary and learn
to be a minister.
-- Anonymous
It is a fact that some pills are abortificiants. I believe
a pharmacist should be allowed that decision, if another pharmacist
is there and can comply.
-- Anonymous
No I do not. Not all birth control pills are prescribed for
"birth control". It certainly should not be up to
a pharmacist to determine if the medication is what the woman
needs. It is up to her physician to decide what medication
in needed.
-- Anonymous
They should not be forced to do anything that counters their
religious beliefs. Last I remember we have a thing call the
Constitution which protects people who exercise their religious
beliefs. Unfortunately the religious beliefs of people are
being pushed aside and we are told we have to embrace and
allow immorality. There are more and laws mandating we permit
immorality for sexual deviations, redefining families and
marriage, permitting premarital sex and hiding it from the
parents.
-- Francine Razny, New Lenox, IL
No. Their job is to fill medications, not to make judgments
as to what the medication is going to and for. Once again
this we have people pushing their opinions and beliefs on
the rest of us. It is our personal decision to put any form
of medicine in our own bodies, not theirs.
-- Hanida Watertown, NY
Do OB/Gyn doctors have to perform abortions? Do we live in
a free enterprise society? Obviously the owner of the pharmacy
should have the right to refuse on religious grounds...remember
the 2nd amendment.
-- Anonymous
Never. They are not God. They are not the doctor. They cannot
decide what is moral for a woman who chooses not to become
pregnant. This is an appalling trend. And this is America?
Beyond belief.
-- Anonymous
I believe that everyone should be able to honor their conscience.
In some cases this might mean a change of employment. Doctors,
nurses, and pharmacists, as agents of healing should be able
to refuse to perform tasks which violate that very purpose,
causing physical harm or potential harm to another.
-- Anonymous
I am appalled that a pharmacist is allowed to have "rights."
I believe that if they cannot dispense a drug based on their
beliefs that they should seek a new profession. They should
have to pay child support for every baby they bring into the
world this way.
-- Anonymous
Absolutely! Birth control pills do not always prevent ovulation
so additionally they are designed to dry the uterus to prevent
implantation of the fertilized egg. The newly created human,
in its earliest stages of development, is sloughed off with
the mom's next menstrual cycle; the woman never knowing of
her conception. Pharmacists should have a right to refuse
to dispense drugs that will aid in the taking of a human life.
Into what depravity are we sliding down this 'slippery slope'?
What would be so horrific that society would say, "ENOUGH!"?
If not with an abortifacient, where would the line be drawn?
-- Annonymous
Pharmacists are there to serve, not to judge or make moral
decisions about others. Which one person is godly enough to
have that ability...nobody I know. We are all human, just
human. The answers to what is right and wrong are much more
complicated than any of us can see...so may things to look
at.
-- Beth Hoxie, Birmingham, MI
Yes, they should be able to live out their beliefs and not
have to dispense birth control pills. The pharmacies should
have others who could do it.
-- Nancy, Brookfield, IL
There are many reasons for taking BCP. It is not the right
of the pharmacist to know these reasons, especially since
HIPAA went into effect. However, if a pharmacist feels s/he
cannot in true conscience fill such a prescription, this information
should be made public so the patients and physicians are not
misled and treatments are not delayed.
I wonder if any pharmacist ever refused to fill a prescription
for a large number of pain pills since they could allow someone
to commit suicide if taken all at once. Two things: 1. The
pharmacists of this belief might consider opening their own
pharmacy and publicize that they do not stock BCP...the "Holier
Than Thou" pharmacy. 2. If a pharmacist can exercise
the right to choose which prescriptions s/he fills, the boss
should be able to exercise the right to terminate, without
hesitation, since the pharmacist is potentially holding up
the healing of a patient. This practice could generate many
lawsuits, and the nightmare fallout from that is not a good
thing.
-- Anonymous
Yes, a Pharmacist should have the right to refuse if they
prefer. The customer has the right to buy where they prefer.
This is not a communist or socialist country and I am angered
at the push in that direction. Stand up for our freedom. God
bless America.
-- Anonymous
NO! Maybe those pharmacists would be happier in a communist
country or a country where women have no rights. Who are they
to force their beliefs on someone else.
-- Barbara Loxahatchee, FL, USA
Yes. Pharmacists have every right to follow their conscience.
The government has no legitimate right to force these men
and women to act against what they believe from the depths
of their hearts.
-- Matthew Ryan, Chicago, IL
No. What a bunch of Baloney! I bet none of these pharmacistx
thought twice about passing out Vioxx and many other drugs
that have killed thousands of adults. They should seek out
another possibly less-adult profession in which they can put
there pious self-moralizing to good use. Pharmacists know
what their job entails before they enter the profession. How
dare they assume they have the right to meddle in another's
individuals rights!
-- Jeff Walling, Foster City, CA
Yes. There are many pharmacists who would provide them, for
those who want them. Perhaps an analogous situation is the
case of Conscientious Objectors in the military. They are
allowed to serve in other capacities, e.g. medical orderlies.
-- Anonymous
No, because abortion of a live baby is even worse -- and
unfortunately that would be the birth control method they
would choose. It would be best if our animalistic, sex-craving
population would practice abstinence, then HIV, birth control,
etc. would not be an issue. BUT that is just a pipe dream
because of the moral decay of our society. Birth control pills
help prevent unwanted pregnancies.
-- Anonymous
If conception has already taken place, the morning after
pill is the same as an abortion, in the very early stages.
The drug companies give us no choices with their ridiculously
high priced medications, now they want to take away our morals
and beliefs. Yes, the pharmacists should be allowed to refuse.
After all, their profession is based on saving lives not destroying.
-- C.A. Tuskan, Highland, Indiana
When someone chooses a profession, they should be prepared
to carry out the duties of that profession. If a task is legal,
they have an obligation to fulfill those duties. Prevention
of conception is NOT abortion. They are NOT our moral policemen.
I would be curious to know if those who are so offended, dispense
Viagra to an unmarried man? Some of us believe one should
not have sex outside of marriage. Do they ask for proof of
marriage?
-- Anonymous
Yes, I think they have a right to protect thier customers
from something they understand as harmful or immoral. If all
of us based our morals on that of the laws passed by the government
they would be some very poor morals; such as abortion.
-- Sharon, TN, USA
Absolutely NOT! It is not their job to decide what is moral
or immoral for anyone but themselves. Their job is to fill
prescriptions accurately, not to make moral judgements!
-- Martha Case, Winlock, WA.
A doctor has the right to refuse to write for a drug and
the fellow professional pharmacist should have that same right.
-- Sara Reynolds, M.D.
No, no and NO! I think it is "morally wrong" to
smoke and drink but I would never refuse medical service to
someone because they got a disease because of their vice.
-- Barbara Farren, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Yes, I do think pharmacists should be able to refuse to dispense
these pills for whatever reason they have. Why would we, as
women, not want the pharmacist to have the right to choose?
Would we actually fight to be able to make a choice for ourselves
and then deny another their right to a choice of their own?
-- Shelley, Edgewater, FL
Of course they may not refuse. Human beings must have the
information necessary to make choices and then be allowed
to exercise their choice. The pharmacist as a servant of the
public has no business making choices for the persons he is
serving.
--S. Woolley, Nassau, NY
Yes. The USA and Canada were built on strong moral (Christian)
values. More and more people have no clue what Christian values
are. They should not be the ones to set the standard for everyone
else. People should get back to the Bible and learn what God
has to say on the subject.
-- Anonymous
On moral grounds, can I, as a Buddhist, refuse to fill your
prescription for any medication made with animal-based products?
If I cannot, yet another pharmacist may refuse to fill certain
prescriptions based on like-reasoning, I have grounds to sue
for discrimination. In short, it is not a pharmacist's job
to dispense their personal moral beliefs. Their job is filling
prescriptions. Do it, or get another job.
-- Ahnaryn Becker, Venice, California
Yes - it is their ethical and self duty to live their moral
convictions. I would trust someone that would refuse me more
than someone who robotically dispenses whatever the doctor
ordered without thought and care about the health and welfare
of others.
-- Anonymous
No! This is still a free country, and your Dr. and you are
the only people who have the right to control what you are
taking. We can not force our views on everyone in the world,
or everyone in our own country.
-- Ellen Norris, FL
Absolutely! (They) should promote and encourage health and
healing ... not murder
-- Anonymous
My daughter takes birth control to help with her horrible
periods..... It is ridiculous that anyone would look at what
a doctor prescribed and comment on it!
-- Anonymous
Yes, it has been proved that contraceptive pills can cause
abortion and breast cancer so if a pharmacy and/or pharmacist
choose to not participate in the dispensing of these pills
due to their personal belief systems, it should be their right
to make this choice. There will always be pharmacists who
will dispense them as long as it is lawful to do so. Find
one of these pharmacies and/or pharmacists to take your business
to. It is your right to choose which pharmacy you patronize.
-- Janet, AZ
No, because if they can do that then they would have to refuse
to fill prescriptions for Vioxx, Lipitor etc. because some
of the side effects are death. Consistency is important with
beliefs otherwise hypocrisy runs rampant.
-- Helen Palmer, Kirkland, WA
I think they should be allowed to refuse to dispense the
morning after pill. That is equivalent to selling someone
a loaded gun knowing they are taking it to kill someone.
-- Anonymous
No. When it comes down to a matter of public health (which
is the case in any medical situation), pharmacists have no
right to fill a legitimate medical prescription. If a pharmacist
is allowed to not fill a prescription for birth control pills,
then would they also have the right to not fill prescriptions
for cholesterol lowering drugs? Or anti-depressants? Could
they then rationalize a way to not fill an order for any drug
with which they have personal qualms? The law is clear that
birth control is legal and no pharmacist, whatever their beliefs,
has a right to refuse service of a legitimate drug.
-- Anonymous
I support the concept of the newly-proposed bill, as it seems
like a decent compromise between the obligations of a pharmacy
to provide all legal medicines and the right of each individual
to act according to their conscience. I hope that the bill
also includes some additional protections for the patient,
as in the right to purchase birth control without being subjected
to moral "counseling" from any pharmacist, contingency
plans for providing the medicine if the pharmacist who CAN
dispense is not available at that time, etc.
-- Sherilyn Wells, Bellingham, WA
Yes the pharmacists should be allowed to refuse dispensing
any drug that is designed to kill.
-- Anonymous
Was there no moral issue in filling Vioxx prescriptions that
killed thousands? Is their excuse that they didn't read nor
heed the early warnings about the cardiovascular dangers;
or is this a case of just doing what the doctor told them
to do?
Or is this a case of situational ethics; e.g., my beliefs
support my 'ethical' decisions therefore I am not to blame.
Maybe the pharmacists and pharmacies that prescribed Vioxx
should be named in the law suits and be liable also. After
all they are the drug experts. They do read all of the drug
information before selling the drug, correct? Without liability
they are not accountable for withholding a prescribed drug
by a liable doctor. Don't we all wish that we could act without
consequence for our actions and base these decisions on moral
grounds? Or wait, isn't that what attorneys do? Show me the
money.
-- Dr. Rick Seim, Bedford, TX
Absolutely! They should have the freedom to follow their
conscience. Doctors also should be able to refuse to do procedures
or prescribe anything against their personal beliefs.
--Anonymous
Pharmacists have a specific job to do - FILL PRESCRIPTIONS!
And, that should be with no questions asked, and no personal
interference. If they want to abide by their personal feelings
AND do their job, they should work at specific places where
this is possible - if these places exist, and these places
are known as such to customers. Otherwise, they should get
over themselves, and just do their job. Simple as that.
-- Sherry Karl