A new Texas bill seeks to give pharmacists the right to object to dispensing emergency contraceptives. The bill was spurred by over a year's worth of debate about an incident in Denton where a rape victim was denied a morning-after pill by a pharmacist at Eckerd's. Supporters say that pharmacists should be able to opt out of dispensing drugs that are used for abortions, but the opposition points out that the bill's definition of emergency contraceptives can be construed to include all birth control. Should pharmacists be allowed to morally object, or is this an anti-birth-control boondoggle?
posted by rush on Apr 12, 2005 - 118 comments

Conscience Clauses and Health Care --"Yes, we need to respect individual freedom of religion. But at what point does it cross the line of not providing essential medical care? At what point is it malpractice?" she asked. "If someone's beliefs interfere with practicing their profession, perhaps they should do something else." The Protection of Conscience Project feels differently: Protection of Conscience Laws are needed because powerful interests are inclined to force health care workers and others to participate, directly or indirectly, in morally controversial procedures, while NARAL says: ... Many of these clauses go far beyond respecting individuals' beliefs to the point of harming women by not providing them with full information or access to medical treatment. Medicine, not ideology, should determine medical decisions.
posted by amberglow on Sep 17, 2004 - 69 comments

Texas Pharmacist Refuses Emergency Contraception for Rape Victim. Should the pharmacist be punished?
posted by EmoChild on Feb 3, 2004 - 63 comments

The poet Vachel Lindsay committed suicide by drinking it. The Edmonton liquor control board arrested a grocery store owner for selling it. Weirder yet, the American Medical Association once condemned its manufacturer for advertising it as a contraceptive or douche. The bizarre history of Lysol disinfectant.
posted by jonp72 on Apr 16, 2003 - 6 comments

Walgreen's Pharmacist refuses to fill prescription. Do pharmacists have the right to refuse to fill a prescription because of religious beliefs? Should they? Well, they do in Florida.
posted by Stretch on Apr 24, 2002 - 103 comments

When is contraception not contraception? When is RU-486 a contraceptive pill and when is it a birth control pill?
posted by Steven Den Beste on Jun 9, 2001 - 20 comments

Doesn't anyone in this country know what condoms are for anymore? For crying out loud. (Yet Another Unexpected Baby...)
posted by Steven Den Beste on Jan 20, 2001 - 9 comments

It's about time. (More inside)
posted by Steven Den Beste on Sep 28, 2000 - 21 comments