When Julee Lacey, a married mother of two, tried to get her birth control pill prescription refilled at a CVS near her home in suburban Dallas, the pharmacist refused. "She began to tell me that she personally does not believe in birth control, and that therefore she would not fill my prescription," said Lacey. (see the full article at ABC News http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Living/birth_control_pharmacists_040406.htmlv )
This actually happened in Texas. This is not a joke. This is not an email hoax. A pharmacist based on her ‘values’ decided not to fill a prescription for a woman prescribed to her by her licensed physician.
Who in the hell does this pharmacist think she is?
Besides the fact that birth control medication is prescribed for various other reasons other than birth control like irregular periods, pms and the symptoms of menopause, this pharmacist and others like her should find another profession if their values interfere the treatment of customers of the pharmacy. I was going to say patients, but pharmacist are not doctors. I will conceded the fact that pharmacist are excellent sources of information. Their education in how the body works and drug interaction is invaluable.
But ultimately they are like smart vending machines, they dispense medicine and inform us of the side-effects and precautions.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine or cared, for that matter, if my pharmacist approved or disapproved of the medication I was taking. I assumed that was between myself and my doctor. We decided on how to treat my mental or physical ailments, and then I followed or rejected the advised treatment. The pharmacist doesn’t even enter the equation for my overall total health.
So, where does a pharmacist get off telling someone “I don’t approve of this behavior” therefore I will deny your legal, rightful request? Conservative values (read fanatical). Conservatives with their rigid and sometimes ridiculous notions of the world and how everyone must conform to their ideal will destroy everyone’s freedom in America.
We have the right to do, believe and say anything within in the bounds of the law in this country. This is not Afghanistan or Iraq. This is the USA; where the constitution protects individual rights from tyranny, totalitarianism, and despotism (which all mean the same thing...but I need all three words to be effectively emphatic.) Conservative beliefs against birth control, abortion or homosexuality should remain in the pulpit and the church. These behaviors are purely personal in nature. They do not effect anyone other than the people directly involved. I personally think every woman in the United States needs to be on birth control pills, since they have been linked to lower rates of cervical and other female-related cancers. (see the Government’s own website http://www.4woman.gov/faq/birthcont.htm ) But, that’s just me. If a woman doesn’t want to take these medical miracles, then she doesn’t. As they say: “it’s a free country.”
And speaking of freedom. The moderates and liberals in this country need to get some backbone and start opposing these domestic terrorists within our own borders. Women all over the world would kill to live in this country. Where we have life like no other woman has in the recently recorded history. Although our status is not up to complete equality in all aspects of human interaction. We do not have to burn ourselves once our husbands die or abandon us. We have the right to a divorce. We have the right to birth control. We have the right to vote. We even have the right to enjoy fucking husbands without the threat of female genital mutilation. We have the right to chose our own dress. We have the right to inherit. We have the right to determine the number of children we ultimately have. Many, maybe most, women in the world do not enjoy this freedom.
If so called ultra-conservative values continue to be normalized in this society, we are on a path that will lead to a theocracy. A government where someone’s God decides how the rest of us should live.
Morality and good conscience belong in government. But one’s man belief system has no place in the overall governing of this country. We have rules of law. We have constitutional rights. We have freedom of religion. We have separation of church and state.
Pharmacist and others who want to hold us hostage to their belief systems need to be put on the fringes of society where they belong.
Moderates and people of common sense unite against this tyranny, this foolishness, this attack on our individual freedoms.
Read where DOCTORS are doing the same crazy ish:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19190916/wid/11915773?GT1=10109
3 comments:
What about the pharmacist's freedoms? Shouldn't a pharamacist be free to do his/her job as he/she sees fit? Why does the pharamacist have to be the one to conform to the customer? You are right, it is a free country - but ALL OF US are free to believe in and live our lives as we see fit. The problem with your stance is you do not at all recognize the rights of the party with whom you disagree.
The customer here has just as much right to the medication as the pharmacist has to deny it. In turn, the customer can choose to patronize another pharmacy. Furthermore, this patient will no doubt tell her friends, doctor, and the press (obviously) her story. Other CVS patients can and likely will do the same. CVS will have to accept what the market says is right. CVS will have to decide whether to allow the pharmacist to refuse such requests (and likely lose money) or fire him/her. But, that is CVS' decision. Not yours, and not the customers. Your right & the right of the customer in this situation is to deny CVS business.
See, we all live in a free society. One which we can do or not do as we please, regardless of occupation. You may not agree and you may in fact believe this pharacist is a close-minded conservative (I'm sure you would choose to use the term fanatical), and that is your choice. It is your choice and right to express these feelings in any manner you decide. BUT - it is not your right to insist that a mecial professional in Texas be required to act in a way that is against his/her own values - only because you believe those values are "fanatical." To imply otherwise is arrogant and contradictory to the freedoms you so passionately defend.
In closing, my advice to you is to take your prescriptions somewhere other than CVS.
I still have much love for you, though sometimes you make me want to ring your neck!
Comment to the first poster: when you work for a company especially a large corporation, unless you are the official spokesperson for that corporation your individual beliefs are pretty much irrelevant. So basically, who cares what that pharmacist personally thought about the prescription being filled. It's their J-O-B, just do it and shut the hell up. We don't pay these over-inflated prices for prescriptions to hear what some self-righteous pharmacist thinks about birth control. Please...
And to the blog writer, AMEN! We need our own politicians to focus more on the "homegrown" terrorists living here in America, silently trying to take our personal freedoms away.
The act of the CVS pharmacist was not an act of government. CVS does not serve the masses and represent the interests of the public and the taxpayers. It's private business and, with some major exceptions of course, private business can do what it chooses. "Birth control prescription fillers" is not a protected class.
But I agree with AWS --- the market forces will make the CVS powers-that-be compel the rogue pharmacist fall in line. This one fellow would cause major revenue problems for CVS and that reason alone will mean that his acts will be isolated incidents. And, as I again agree with AWS, old girl certainly had other pharmacies from which to choose. Screw 'em and head on over to Walgreens.
"Birth control prescription fillers" are not a protected class, but they are a significant contributor to pharmaceutical profit (as my own wallet and insurance can attest)and money will trump morals every time.
And also, what's wrong with being conservative? More specifically, in the situation described in your blog, the issue is really with a closed-minded, unevolved woman-hating bigot. Conservatives do not necessarily feel that they need to trample over other people and force them to adhere to their way of being. That's the job of unevolved bigots. I got what you were trying to express, but I think you have lumped all conservatives into one big discrimnation-lump. The converse thought would be that all liberals love everybody, always tell the truth and treat everyone fairly and evenhandedly. And sweet Jesus --- we sure as hell know that is not true. Are you listening, Mrs. Clinton?
Post a Comment