Stop activist pharmacists!

A group of pharmacists have taken it upon themselves to deny women their right to choose by refusing to fill prescriptions for the morning-after pill and even birth control. (MSNBC article here.) These are not just a few angry Catholics and fundamentalist Christians wielding their meager power. The Pharmacists for Life International Web site is keeping a running tally on which states are passing a "Conscience Clause," allowing pharmacists to refuse the right to fill prescriptions that violate their beliefs.

Oh, and don't we all sympathize? After all, nobody wants to be forced to do something he or she feels is morally wrong on the job. But where will it end? Think about life-saving treatments derived from stem cells that pharmacists could also deem immoral. On the other side of the political spectrum, imagine being denied your heart medicine because it was tested on animals. Once you open the door for pharmacists to make decisions that should be between you and your doctor--and make them on a moral rather than medical basis--it's a slippery slope.

Of course, this is what the militants on the right want. As I wrote about for Salon way back in 1997, they've been trying to gradually erode Roe v. Wade since it began. Fortunately, there are counter efforts being made. In some states, like my very own California, efforts are being made to require pharmacists to fill prescriptions.