Protest follows denial of morning-after pill

[DWAlphaGam]

Don't go blaming this on Eckard. Eckard is a business, and no business that wants to stay afloat is going to keep staff members who refuse to carry out their duties or who turn away customers to the competition (i.e., this woman who ended up going to the Walgreen's across the street).

This guy should have done his job. He was aware of the existance of this product, and should have known that he would one day encounter someone who wanted to purchase it. If he had a problem with that, he should have seriously considered a new career path. Chances are, he's going to have to do that now, anyway.

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by 33girl
When he found out this pill was coming on the market, if he had such a strong feeling about it, he should have asked his supervisor if he was going to be required to dispense it. If the answer didn't jibe with his moral code, he needed to quit his job THEN AND THERE. Not throw a wrench into the works when someone needed an emergency prescription.

Exactly! Not to mention EC came out 10 years ago...it's only now become advertised to the point where almost everyone's familiar with it. Before then, doctors were telling women how to take regular BC in a mega-dose to basically do the same thing as EC.

Why do some "Christian" men feel like it's their business to prevent women from doing what they see fit with their reproductive lives?

[krazy]

Yeah, I should not have used the word fault... That isn't what I really meant. I guess what I mean is, Eckard has to respect the fact that some people might not want to dispence this drug. Maybe everyone will learn from this scenario. I agree that this fellow should have taken the hypotheetical into consideration before this tragedy happened though.

[krazy]

Why do you have to turn it into a religious/sexism thing?

[33girl]

Originally posted by krazy
Yeah, I should not have used the word fault... That isn't what I really meant. I guess what I mean is, Eckard has to respect the fact that some people might not want to dispence this drug.

Why should they "respect" someone who has managed to get their company's name dragged through the mud because of his actions? A lot of people are going to pick up on the Eckerd name before they remember this guy's name and before you know it, there will be an internet rumor that Eckerd doesn't give regular BC pills or something of the like.

[krazy]

Thank you for your opinion.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I can understand krazy's point. You shouldn't have to compromise your values to have a career. I am sure that their are other pharmacists who have a problem with this drug. What are they supposed to do?

I don't think that this situation has dragged Eckerd's name through the mud. It might spark an interesting debate on morality and religious values in the workforce. I do think that it is controversial that he was fired rather than placed in a position in which his religious beliefs weren't compromised. I actually think that Eckerd's reaction is going to be a big problem for them in the future.

[thetalady]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
Fact of the matter is, he didn't tell his superiors about his beliefs, he didn't ask another person to dispense the drug. So it's still his fault. Eckard were within their legal rights, and I think they did the right thing.

Per the follow up article, there were actually THREE pharmacists on shift at this Eckerd that all refused to fill the prescription on personal moral grounds. All three were fired.

Until you own your own business & accept the risks, you don't have the right to make this kind of decision.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
I can understand krazy's point. You shouldn't have to compromise your values to have a career. I am sure that their are other pharmacists who have a problem with this drug. What are they supposed to do?

I don't think that this situation has dragged Eckerd's name through the mud. It might spark an interesting debate on morality and religious values in the workforce. I do think that it is controversial that he was fired rather than placed in a position in which his religious beliefs weren't compromised. I actually think that Eckerd's reaction is going to be a big problem for them in the future.

They can find or start a pharmacy that supports their beliefs. I'm sure many of the "Christian" hospitals with in-house pharmacy staff would accomodate their beliefs.

-Rudey

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
I can understand krazy's point. You shouldn't have to compromise your values to have a career. I am sure that their are other pharmacists who have a problem with this drug. What are they supposed to do?

I don't think that this situation has dragged Eckerd's name through the mud. It might spark an interesting debate on morality and religious values in the workforce. I do think that it is controversial that he was fired rather than placed in a position in which his religious beliefs weren't compromised. I actually think that Eckerd's reaction is going to be a big problem for them in the future.

Wht kind of position do you think the pharmacists could be placed in so they wouldn't be in a position to possible compromise their moral/religious/ethical beliefs?

[AGDee]

They are trying to get that drug approved as an OTC medication. I heard last night on the news that it's being delayed until they study more about the birth control habits of teens.

I do believe these pharmacists were out of line. Does every Catholic pharmacist refuse to fill birth control pill or Depo-Provera shot prescriptions? What if all Catholic cashiers refused to ring up condoms, foam, the sponge (in the old days)? Can they refuse such items to someone who isn't married if they don't believe in pre-marital sex?

A 30 year old co-worker of mine had a heart attack two months after her baby was born. It turns out she has a condition called post partum cardiomyopathy. She was told that she will probably die if she gets pregnant again. They can't tie her tubes because her condition is still too unstable to take the surgical risk. They won't put her on the pill because of the cardiac risks involved. She has a standing order for EC so that she and her husband can engage in normal marital relations. I sure hope she doesn't run into a clown like that one. It's not his business and it is his job to fill prescriptions ordered by doctors. He's not being asked to do anything illegal and he could be putting someone's health at risk by not filling the prescription.

Dee

[cash78mere]

i didn't know pharmacists had the right to EVER deny a prescription, regardless of what it was for. that's so disturbing

[AlphaGamDiva]

it is disturbing that these pharmacists denied medicine...but i can see their point (as well as krazy's) or their logic behind it. they are trying to not be a part of something that they see morally wrong. i'm sure they knew she would go elsewhere for the drug, but they wanted to distance themselves from the situation. the fact this guy was fired is not surprising, but somewhat disappointing. they could have just rearranged his position in the store or something. he's being punished for his views moreso, i think, than what he actually did.

it's like you don't want to be a part of a scenario where someone is killing another person, so you distance yourself from the person trying to do the murder. in this case, the guy couldn't separate murder from abortion. just like a lot of people *raises hand*.....he did the right thing for himself morally, just not economically as now he is out of a job. i applaud him for standing strong in his convictions. he felt he would be held responsible in the "next life" or whatever you wanna call it if he gave her the meds....now he knows he won't and that he did all he could do to prevent it. she ended up getting the drug, so what's the huff about?

can ppl voice their concerns about the rights of mothers, but no one is allowed to voice concerns about the rights of the unborn?

[moe.ron]

Whatever his believed is, it is of no consequence as he is a member of a corporation which has policies which he should follow. It does not matter what kind of medicine it is. If the medicine is legal and the corporation are selling it, he does not have a choice.

A little like our respected organizations. I'm sure there are portions of our respected by-laws that we do not agree with. However, we know full well that if we get caught violating that by-law, we will face consequences.

[James]

EVERYONE should have the morning after pill in their medicine cabinet.