Does a pharmacist have a right to refuse to fill a birth control prescription because of his/her beliefs? Anyone know if a pharmacist have to take an oath? ******************************************************** 03-10-05, 09:47 PM Georgia85 Honi, my very first bf in college is a pharmacist. Yes, he did have to take an oath when he graduated from Mercer Pharmacy School. I found a copy of it on the web:
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 embrace and advocate change in the professional of pharmacy that improves patient care.
I take these vows voluntarily with the full realization of responsiblity with which I am entrusted by the public.
*reference: American Association of College of Pharmacy (aacp)
I think once one decides to be a pharmacist he/she cannot allow personal beliefs to affect their job. ******************************************************** 03-10-05, 09:52 PM AMoore Medical Doctors are carefully trained to avoid moral judgements on the behavior of their patients, as only by avoiding such judgements can they deliver good medical care. It seems to me that the same requirement should properly apply to other health-care providers as well: Pharmacists, nurses, medical technicians and so on. The same applies to political issues, religeous issues, and issues of many other kinds.
Alan Moore ******************************************************** 03-10-05, 10:32 PM honilov Thanks Georgia and Alan. Some pharmacists, refuse on moral grounds to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, and states from Rhode Island to Washington have proposed laws that would protect such decisions.
The reason I didn't post the link is because it was 4 month old, but you might find it interesting. Sad, but true, they can refuse and are geering up more and more support. Roll Eyes
link ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 06:53 AM MommyTimesTwo I don't have any problem with that. There's no reason why they should have to subjugate their personal beliefs in order to be pharmacists. Doctors and nurses are allowed to refuse to perform certain procedures based on their beliefs, why not pharmacists?
If your pharmacist refuses to fill your prescription, go to another pharmacist. It's that simple to respect someone else's beliefs. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 07:50 AM Georgia85 Honi, very interesting, thanks for the link. I wouldn't think someone would think about pursuing a career if they knew they would at times be faced with situations that went against their moral beliefs.
Apparently a pharmacist can refuse to fill a prescription but according to the American Pharmacists Association they have to pass off the prescription to another physician to fill.
Thanks again for the info. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 07:53 AM MommyTimesTwo George
What about Catholic hospitals, and things like that? Should nuns working in a Catholic hospital have to perform abortions, just because it's "part of the job"?
To many medical professionals, saving lives is the job, not preventing lives from being created or born. To them, that IS the job. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 07:53 AM juanruiz If he owns his own business, I don't see a big problem. Seems he's free to do what he wants. If he is simply a staff pharmicist, though, I imagine his butt would be fired. The latter is analogous to a public school biology teacher who won't teach evolution. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 09:47 AM shelster I worked for a catholic run hospital for 6 years. The CEO was a nun. They did not perform abortions.
Every where I have worked as a nurse, as a part of orientation, it is explained that we may be involved in situations we are morally against. We are never forced to take part in anything we are against in that fashion. Obviously any nurse/doctor/medical professional is going to be in a situation at some point in their career that will be controversial in some way. If we have a serious issue with it, they will find someone else who doesn't have that issue.
I have never seen anyone pressured into doing something they disagree with.
Obviously however, if you have serious limitations that are an obvious part of the job...you may want to rethink the career choice.
Its a sticky situation, because if we ask pharmacists to give out birth control pills today, even when they are opposed to it, what happens when they are asked to provide morning after pills? Or in 20 years when there is a cloning pill, or what we consider illegal drugs become legalized....where do we draw the line?
I really think that people have to stand by their convictions, without fear of judgement. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 11:08 AM juanruiz I don't know, seems like this convictions business can get stretched a bit, and at what point does it become ludicrous? The pharmicist is running a business to serve his clientele. Does he then not sell Amoxicillin because he thinks antibiotics are overused? Or, should a Mormon who owns a grocery store not sell coffee of Coke because they go against the Word of Wisdom? ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 12:00 PM MommyTimesTwo Juan
I don't think we can make a blanket statement of when "convictions" are appropriate or not. However, I would say that if a person is hired with the understanding they can limit their job preformance based on their religion--ie, as above, nurses not performing abortions--then that should stand.
BTW--I have been in grocery stores that did not have certain items because of the beliefs of the owners. If you want that item, you go somewhere else. If they go out of business, that is their problem, not yours. It is easier and far preferable to allow the Invisible Hand to manage the system, than to try and force people to be the way you want them to be. If a pharmacist loses customers because they will not supply BC pills, that is their problem, not ours to fix. They will have to decide what to do at that point. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 12:22 PM juanruiz
quote: to allow the Invisible Hand to manage the system,
quote: I don't know, seems like this convictions business can get stretched a bit
That statement is kinda scary JR. I mean, isn't that what our country was founded on? If we could all be forced to ignore our convictions, wouldn't that make this a dictatorship or something?
I was once asked, by a boss (at hospice) to commit medicare fraud. I refused, because it was against my convictions. Who was wrong? Sure, happens all the time, but I refused to take part in it. If I had gone along with it, I would have been a part of the bad part of our healthcare system. One could argue that it is part of my job to follow my boss's instructions, but I stood by my convictions. Was that a wrong choice? Was it allowing convictions to get out of hand? ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 03:07 PM frankvan
quote: One could argue that it is part of my job to follow my boss's instructions, but I stood by my convictions. Was that a wrong choice? Was it allowing convictions to get out of hand?
I don't think medicare fraud is "wrong" just because of your personal convictions. It is wrong because we all agree that it is a violation of the law. Smile ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 03:19 PM notinmyname I would not do something I thought immoral for my boss. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 04:01 PM MommyTimesTwo I think what Shelly's trying to express is that people choose to not do things that are part of their jobs for personal reasons all the time, and that we can't put artificial blanket limitations on "convictions".
For example, as a nurses' aide I saw a lot of people who were dying. I also saw where a number of nurses would not care for certain terminally ill patients, because those patients did not have DNRs and the nurses felt it was against their convictions to resussitate a dying person, simply for lack of a piece of paper. Other nurses had to have those patients.
It is the same thing with the pharmacists. Simply go to another pharmacist. By insisting they do something that is against their beliefs, you are no better than you think they are for refusing to sell you something that you want, but they don't beleive in. Respect and tolerance go both ways. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 04:26 PM juanruiz If you will read my first post you will see I asked at what point the notion of convictions becomes ludicrous. I was not talking about abortion, or welfare fraud, or murder. And, I stipulated that if a person owned his own pharmacy he was free to do what he wished. But, if he is a staff pharmacist, and is being paid to serve customers, and he is against birth control, then he should tell his employer, during the job interview, that when he is working, he would under no circumstances fill that prescription, and then allow the employer to decide whether to hire him or not. ******************************************************** 03-11-05, 04:54 PM Fritzzs Being from a family of Pharmcist, I find it absolutly assinine to refuse to fulfill a precription because of ones personal feelings...
That would be like a service station operator not giving service to a Ford, because he is a GM fancier...
If that would happen to me in a chain operation., there would be an immediate e-mail to the home office...
Believe me, you would see results the next day...They do not put up with crap like that....
If that happens to you, send off an e-mail.... ******************************************************** 03-12-05, 11:15 AM shelster Personally I agree with you. I don't see the harm in birth control pills. And I don't see where them refusing is gonna change a thing because anyone can go anywhere else to get them.
However, your "crap" is their 'right'.
I think its crazy to make laws about it, and there are bigger battles to be fought.
Pharmacists have it pretty rough, if you ask me. They know what are the best medicines for things, but the insurance companies won't pay for things unless they are formularies, even if the other choices are poor choices for the patients.
If this little thing gives them a little say, or control, more power to them. ******************************************************** 03-12-05, 12:32 PM Kendor
quote: Originally posted by Fritzzs: That would be like a service station operator not giving service to a Ford, because he is a GM fancier...
EXACTLY! The pharmacist is there to do a job. If he/she doesn't perform to the customer's satisfaction, get 'em out of there.
"I'd like a pack of Winstons please. "Oh, no, I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, my mother died of lung cancer and, well,..."
Hogwash!
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