Protest follows denial of morning-after pill

[thetalady]

Originally posted by DWAlphaGam
Protest follows denial of morning-after pill
This is completely ridiculous. I hope this pharmacist got fired.

Wish granted.... I can't believe that these men tried to force their own morals on anyone, in violation of their state licenses and company policy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eckerd Fires 3 Pharmacy Workers

Pharmacists wouldn’t fill rape victim’s prescription for ‘morning-after’ pill

08:01 AM CST on Thursday, February 12, 2004

By Liz Austin / Associated Press Writer
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/drc/....11e9b5f3.html

Eckerd Corp. has fired three pharmacists at the Denton store on University Drive who declined to fill an emergency contraception prescription for a woman who had been raped, one of the pharmacists said Wednesday.

Gene Herr, 33, of Denton said he and two co-workers were fired on Jan. 29, six days after refusing to fill the prescription.

Eckerd has declined to comment on their employment status. Joan Gallagher, the vice president of communications for Largo, Fla.-based Eckerd only would say the company had taken the appropriate disciplinary action.

Herr said he declined to fill the prescription for the so-called "morning-after pill" because he believes it could have killed the embryo if the woman already had conceived. Though he had declined five or six times in the past to fill such prescriptions, it was the first time he had been handed one for a rape victim, he said.

"I went in the back room and briefly prayed about it," said Herr, who had worked for Eckerd for five years. "I actually called my pastor at Denton Bible Church and asked him what he thought about it."

The two other pharmacists who were present at the time also declined to fill the prescription. Herr would not name them.

The rape victim had the prescription filled at the Walgreens across the street.

Gallagher said Eckerd’s employment manual says pharmacists are not allowed to opt out of filling a prescription for religious, moral or ethical reasons.

Herr said he did not know about that policy until his supervisors questioned him about it shortly before he was fired.

"In my mind if I agree to work for someone knowing that that’s their policy, then I should submit to that policy. But I didn’t even know about it," he said.

He declined to discuss his future plans.

Morning-after pills are higher doses of the hormones in regular birth control pills and have been sold under the brand names Plan B and Preven since 1998.

Taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse, the pills are at least 75 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. They work by preventing ovulation or fertilization of an egg. If fertilization already has occurred, they prevent the egg from implanting into the uterus — the medical definition of pregnancy.

Herr said he’s disappointed but not angry or bitter.

"I’m a Christian. I feel like God gave me an opportunity to, I guess, make a stand for what is right," Herr said. "He’s gonna take care of me either way."