Originally posted at
MLW.
Planned Parenthood recently posted a diary calling for a letter writing campaign and a boycott against Target for allowing their pharmacists to refuse to fill emergency contraception prescriptions. My first reaction was to heed the call for action. I fired off a letter telling them that I am a frequent shopper of Target and will not step foot in their store again until they change this policy. But that just wasn't enough and I had to do more. I was furious.
Target was my store. I was there at least once a week and rarely left without buying something. Mossimo clothes are usually pretty cool, their home furnishings are neat, and they have a great jewelry selection. I love Target and I didn't want to give it up so easily. That's when I realized I was missing a major component of the boycott method. My local Target needed to know that I would no longer be spending my money there. They see my face every week but now they needed to hear my voice. So, I decided that a visit to my local Target was in order.
As I entered the store I was still debating about whether I should take my chances with whichever manager was on duty or go straight to the pharmacy. That is when a nice employee approached me and asked if I needed help. They do have great service at Target, another thing I was going to miss. I asked to speak with a manager and within a couple of minutes I was being introduced to a woman I'll call Sue. Sue asked how she could help me and I asked her if she knew her store's policy about filling EC prescriptions. She said that she did not know. I explained that I was under the impression that the national policy allowed Target pharmacists to refuse to fill a prescription on "moral grounds." She said we should talk to the pharmacist on duty. As we walked to the pharmacy I thanked her for her help and she said that was very interested in this too. She said this is an issue a lot of people take personally. I wasn't sure what she meant. This is a very conservative town so for all I knew, she would applaud the national policy.
When we approached the pharmacist on duty I was a little nervous. You just don't know what you could encounter. What if the pharmacist was a fundie aching for a showdown with a heathen? What if I started hearing about the murder of babies? Then I realized my nervousness would be nothing compared to that of a woman asking for EC, a woman in a desperate situation, maybe even a recent victim of a rape. This discussion had to be had.
The manager told the pharmacist I wanted to know if they filled prescriptions for EC. She said, "No, you have to have a prescription from a doctor." We were not off to a good start. She thought I needed it and seemed to be ready to turn me away. This did not fill me with hope. I explained that I did not need it, but that I wanted to know if the store allowed pharmacists to refuse to fill the RX. She said that was national policy but that they don't usually fill it anyway because they do not keep it in stock.
Apparently my local Target is a "low inventory" store. Other Targets keep more inventory on hand, but this one apparently does not make the sales to justify doing so. Ah ha! So, they need my money. I got a little hope back and pressed on.
I asked how long it would take to get the RX, taking this conversation in a different direction than I had originally intended. She said it would take a day or two. I explained that delay would be unacceptable for someone needing the medicine immediately. She said they did have a small supply once, but it expired and was wasted. I wondered if this was true for other local pharmacies. That was a wrinkle in quickly getting EC, and I had never even considered it. I also wondered what that meant for women who decided to keep some on hand for just such an emergency.
I asked the pharmacist what she does when someone comes in requesting EC. She said she gives them a referral. I asked her where she sends them. She said sends them to a Planned Parenthood about 40 minutes away and went on to explain that getting an RX for EC was very difficult and you had to see a doctor to get a complete examination. She made it sound almost impossible. I told her that her referral is too far for someone to have to go to get an RX filled and had nothing else to say.
The manager and I walked back toward the front of the store. She said she didn't think any of their pharmacists would reuse to fill the RX on moral grounds, that they "weren't like that." I said we were going to have to work on the national level. She agreed. She then let me know that she was worried about the direction this country was going. She was scared for women. I agreed and thanked her for her help. We parted with sad smiles.
It's not over. I am going to talk to at least one pharmacy in my town per week until I have talked to them all. Fortunately I live in a pretty small town. Unfortunately, this could mean it will be impossible for someone to get an immediate dose of EC.
The mission has improved and this is my plan. I will go in with 5 questions:
- Do they allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions on moral grounds?
- If so, what is the policy?
- Does another pharmacist have to be on duty to fill the RX?
- Do they refer the customer to another pharmacy? If so, where?
- Do they keep a supply of EC in stock?
Once I find a pharmacy that can meet the immediate needs of someone wanting EC, and does not allow for refusal on moral grounds, I will make sure every other pharmacy knows where to refer their customers. I will probably make a small flyer or sticker letting each pharmacy know the best referral for EC.
So, there is no end to this story. But, if I were to write the end it would go something like this:
After sassy texan posted her diary millions of women across the country joined her in her mission. Every person who cares about women's rights marched into their local pharmacies, big and small, demanding to know their policy on EC. They were armed with passion and information. If the pharmacy did not provide EC, they were given information on who does. They were also left with the message that they were now going to be boycotted by all people who care. Within a matter of months every pharmacy in the country submitted to the campaign and required all pharmacists to stock and fill EC for anyone with a prescription. And the world got just a little safer for women.
Originally posted at MLW.