Woman denied the morning after pill? - Birth Control Message Board

crimsonrose · 01-17-2007, 07:07 AM

Hi everyone.

I just read a story about a woman who needed to get Plan B and since it is now available over the counter, she went to her local pharmacy to buy it. The pharmacist refused to sell it, and she was unable to find it anywhere else. When the pharmacist was questioned, he said he didn't sell it because he didn't believe in killing a baby. I heard that a pharmacist has the right to do this as long as he tells the lady where she CAN purchase it. I do not want a moral debate here.. not asking if it's right or wrong- just want to know if this is true?!

barton93 · 01-17-2007, 07:21 AM

Yes, unfortunately this is true! Close to my hometown, there was a story within the last year of a pharmacist that wouldn't fill a prescription for birth control because it was against his beliefs. The woman even tried explaining to him that she was on the pill for medical reasons and he still wouldn't fill it. She contacted an attorney regarding this only to find that there was literally nothing she could do about it.

rainbow_mandi · 01-17-2007, 08:05 AM

Yeah I'm afraid this is true. I used to work in a pharmacy and I've worked with several people who won't supply it. I think it was the only way they could make selling it off prescription legal without too much outcry from some pharmacists.

Thisby · 01-17-2007, 08:16 AM

Yup. Basically: no pharmacy is under any legal obligation to stock or sell products they don't want to.

There are some pharmacies that stupidly believe that Plan B somehow works differently than regular birth control pills (they don't) and actually end an already-started pregnancy (not true). So they don't stock the product.

So that's why I boycott certain stores (e.g. Walmart). They might have the right to express their (erroneous*) beliefs through their stocking practices, but I also get to express mine through my shopping practices, lol.

*They won't sell Plan B, but they do sell regular BCP, which work the exact same way. Kind of hipocritical, IMO.

crimsonrose · 01-17-2007, 09:03 AM

Funny you say Walmart, because that's the store this story occured at!