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Contraceptive accessFrom: Joanne Bulley, MD (islesannie@yahoo.com)Tue Apr 19 21:21:30 2005
>From MedScape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503189?src=search Since you need to sign on and have a password (but free) ... here it is: U.S. Bill Would Enforce Contraceptive Access in Pharmacies Todd Zwillich April 14, 2005 — Washington lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday making it illegal for pharmacies to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control, fueling a growing controversy over whether pharmacists have the right to withhold oral contraceptives from patients with valid prescriptions. Under the "Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act," introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate, pharmacists who refuse to fill any prescription because of "personal beliefs" must ensure that another dispenses the drugs. Pharmacies that do not stock a drug must order it immediately at the patient's request, it states. Pharmacies can be fined up to $5,000 per day or $500,000 total for delays in providing drugs, the bill says. Physician-Patient Relationship While the bill applies to all prescriptions and does not specifically mention contraception, supporters made it clear that it was intended to head off a growing number of pharmacists who are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control and emergency contraceptives because of moral objections. "Nobody has the right to come between a person and their doctor," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), the bill's chief senate sponsor. "We just want to have a bill that will say, 'pharmacists, do your job, period,' " he said. The bill comes a day after two Illinois pharmacists sued Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich over a new state rule compelling pharmacies that carry contraceptives to fill prescriptions for birth control. The rule also forces pharmacies that do not stock the requested pills, including emergency contraception, to order them or refer the patient to a nearby pharmacy. Gov. Blagojevich enacted the rule April 1 after two Chicago pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions for emergency contraceptives. Similar refusals have occurred in at least seven states, including Texas, where in 2004 three Eckerd pharmacists in the town of Denton allegedly refused to fill an emergency contraceptive prescription for a rape victim. "We have to make sure that women do not have to fight through the conscience of their pharmacist in order to get legal prescription drugs," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a House sponsor of the bill. The bill does not require pharmacies to stock any drug but only compels them to order it for patients with a valid prescription, aides said.
-- Joanne Bulley, MD Keene, NH, USA
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