I'm sure you are all familiar by now with the controversy regarding the rights of pharmacies to distribute only the legal drugs they deem to be "moral."
SJ Mercury News columnist Sue Hutchinson, for instance, today makes the following observation:
It makes you wonder how long it will be before we have ``activist grocery check-out clerks'' who decline to sell condoms or ``activist postal carriers'' who won't deliver mail from reproductive-rights groups. Meanwhile, there's no word yet on whether the conscientious pharmacists also won't fill prescriptions for Viagra or AIDS-treatment medication or any other drugs that might offend them.
But also to consider is Hutchinson's observation that with the highlight of this issue, the legal trend is actually going the wrong way. Separately, and also very important, is the role this issue plays, not only in contraceptive drug cases, but also in PAIN MEDICATION cases.
First, on the legislative front:
These pharmacists who have enlisted as members of the morality police proclaim that their religious beliefs preclude them from filling prescriptions for contraceptives. Incredibly, four states have approved laws that allow pharmacists to do this, and 23 other states are considering similar laws.
Boy, is this a case of going against the public good or what? Amazing that people will penalize the sick and needful in the name of allowing pharmacists to interpret religious values. Even more amazing is that 27 states could soon have laws on the books allowing this, when it seemed like most legislation introduced would BAN the practice. I suggest you find out what sort of legislation, if any, is up in your state, and that you write to your representatives about it. Interestingly enough, this also works as a wedge issue of sorts. In Missouri, for instance, the Republican Party is split on the issue. Fortunately in California, State Senator Deborah Ortiz is introducing legislation to require easy access to contraceptives. I just wish it went a little further, in order to cover another problem I found, highlighted below.
I just ran across this FDA article on chronic pain, which happened to mention another problem caused by some pharmacies, and that is with regards to pain medication. It cites the following:
Sheryl Kaufman, 40, of Boston, who uses oxycodone and a fentanyl patch for severe pain associated with breast cancer, says she recently filed a grievance with a pharmacy over her struggles to get prescriptions filled. "They made me feel like a criminal," she says. "Sometimes I've had to go without pain medication for two to three days because of delays in filling prescriptions."
This kind of bullshit has to stop. If doctors prescribe a drug, it is the duty of the pharmacy to provide it. Period. If they find doctor error they need to contact the doctor. If they find what they think is patient abuse, they need to contact the doctor.
They do NOT need to lecture the patient at the point of sale, offer their point of view, or refuse to sell.