Kroger pharmacist refused 'morning after' pill; company reiterates drug policies

[piedmont]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17537102/

ATLANTA - Kroger Co. said Friday it was reiterating its drug policies to all of its pharmacists after a Georgia woman claimed she was denied the so-called “morning after” pill at one of the company’s stores.

The Cincinnati-based grocery chain said if its pharmacists object to fulfilling a request, the store must “make accommodations to have that prescription filled for our customer.”

“We believe that medication is a private patient matter,” said Meghan Glynn, a Kroger spokeswoman. “Our role as a pharmacy operator is to furnish medication in accordance with the doctor’s prescription or as requested by a patient.”

Abortion rights activists in Georgia planned to announce a statewide campaign Friday to raise awareness about the contraceptive. It planned to focus on the story of Carrie Baker, who said a Kroger pharmacist in her hometown of Rome, Ga., would not give her the contraceptive.

[RoseMead]

1. Good for Kroger

I shop there when I can catch the sales. They're just about the best store in town here, selection-wise.

[DefenseLawyer]

6. It is also a union shop

if I'm not mistaken.

[LostinVA]

39. Kroger is actually quite anti-union, even if they have union stores

I refuse to shop there because of that.

[DefenseLawyer]

40. Well not as "anti-union" as Wal-Mart

which has been known to close stores rather than allowing workers to organize. Those are the basic choices in my part of the world. You know of some "pro-union" major corporations?

[BOSSHOG]

2. He should be fired for malfeasance

He was not doing his job. If christians want to open their own pharmacies, go for it. If you want to be a pharmacist then fill the fucking prescriptions written by a doctor that a patient brings in or fucking move to Iran.

[kestrel91316]

30. Needs his pharmacy license yanked. Permanent-like.

Dispensing meds sometimes dispensing them for purposes which you might not approve of. If you can't deal with that, don't enter the profession, dude.

[robinlynne]

3. just fire the guy for not doing his job. want to work with science and/or medicine?

be scientific. What if a mcdonalds waitress refused to serve meat?

[rkc3]

5. McDonald's serves meat?

[youngdem]

8. I too was surprised

[left is right]

17. I think this is a good analogy

a member of PETA would not be able to keep a McDonald's job if she refused to sell hambburgers. A cashier (of legal age) at that same Kroger's could not refuse to sell tobacco or liquor--just because she thought either or both were immoral.

[Roland99]

4. Figures it would happen in Georgia.

*sigh*


Fucking Fund-A-Mentals.

[piedmont]

9. Although there are many fundamentalists here...

you're kidding yourself if you think it doesn't/can't happen in other parts of the country.

[Roland99]

19. I know but this type of crap is WAY more prevalent in GA. (esp. the Atlanta area)

[piedmont]

22. Yeah, too bad I don't live in the liberal, secular bastion that is KENTUCKY

:eyes:

[Roland99]

33. oh, ffs.

:eyes:

[LiberalFighter]

7. To make it clear Kroger and others should require

any "conscience" pharmacist...
1) Must make sure the accommodation is made at that pharmacy
2) Make sure that the prescription is normally available at that pharmacy
3) Make sure the prescription is filled within at most 30 minutes
4) Make sure they understand that they are providing prescription medication for the woman and no one else.

[NashVegas]

36. How About Just Taking Them Off the Payroll

Refusing to sell a legal substance is not an expression of religious belief.

Rather, that's setting oneself up to be the "gatekeeper" and let him start his own pharmacy if he wants to pull that.

[LiberalFighter]

41. I be for that... states need to have a moral conscience themselves

Demanding that pharmacists and other medical personnel can't pick and choose who will receive medical treatment.

[Mend]

10. this "pharmacist" is promoting abortions...no morning after pill

to prevent fertilization. Fertilization occurs leading to unwanted pregnancy. Three month fetus aborted. Would that make him happier?

[rock]

11. You know if the pharmicist is allowed to do this

he may refuse because she's tall or Black or Catholic or ... We don't know why he refused, only what he said was the reason.

[xchrom]

12. so conscience phamacists can get involved in patient/doctor relationships?

since when is a third party allowed in a that relationship?

[MissMillie]

14. not that I agree with this pharmacist

but remember that pharmacists are doctors too.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

16. Not an MD and more importantly, not MY doctor.

Why should someone that talks to me for 2 minutes make choices for MY body? Why should their decision trump my doctor's?

[MissMillie]

24. like I said

I don't agree with this pharmacist. His opinion shouldn't trump your MDs... This doctor shouldn't make choices for your body.

I did say that the first time. I said I don't agree with his behavior.

[Book Lover]

20. No they are not

They are part of the allied health professions, but they are not doctors.

[MissMillie]

23. yes, they are

The are not MDs but they are doctors

Pharmacist: Education & Training

To become a pharmacist, you need to graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from an accredited college of pharmacy, serve an internship under a licensed pharmacist and pass a State examination (NAPLEX) - all of which enables you to obtain a license to practice.

[Book Lover]

26. When I posed this question to my pharmacist friend before posting my post,

she said no. What can I tell you? :shrug:

[NashVegas]

37. Physician v Someone With a Doctorate

When it comes to physician / doctor, we use the terms interchangeably, but there's a huge difference.

Most people who say "doctor" mean "physician."

[kestrel91316]

31. They are not physicians. Their doctorate is in pharmacy.

They have no right to deny any form of legally prescribed medication of any kind because of their personal spiritual views, IMHO.

[AngryOldDem]

15. They seem to think so

They see it as taking part in something that goes against their moral principles, and some say that by filling the prescription, they are also committing a sin. Their moral principles trump their job responsibilities and the customer.

My stock answer to such people: Find another job or open your own place and make it clear what you will or will not sell, so people can make informed decisions where to take their business. It's really getting tiresome that people use their workplaces for grandstanding. Fill the prescription or get the hell out. It's that simple.

[DemKR]

13. Should be fired, NO Special rights

Why get a job as a pharmacist if you're going to whine about who gets what pills? My God. The policy should be when a prescription is given, fill it, to everyone. If they have a problem with that, then they are not doing their job. People should NOT be given special rights because of their religious beliefs.

[theHandpuppet]

18. I object to grocery store customers...

... who load up their carts with pop tarts, pizzas, chicken nuggets and orange sodas for their kids. If I'm a cashier do I get to refuse to ring it up?

[DemoTex]

21. Or beer and wine for the adults ..

[VegasWolf]

25. Oh, of course, GEORGIA! -snicker- nuff said! nt

[tanyev]

27. People can order Plan B online from drugstore.com

This is crazy.

[piedmont]

28. Wouldn't it take too long to get there? nt

[tanyev]

29. Good point.

That's why I ordered one to have on hand, just in case. My main point is that it's crazy for a self-righteous pharmacist to try to restrict a product that is so easily available now.

[Miss Chybil]

32. Health care workers have the right to obstain from practices they find

morally wrong. However, as Kroger has stated in this case, the pharmacist should have made accomodations to have the prescription filled.

I used to object very loudly to pharmacists refusing to serve their customers because of their own beliefs. I have softened that stance a bit, but ONLY if the pharmacist makes accomodations which will serve the patient while still maintaining his/her own integrity.

A poster here used the analogy of a PETA supporter working in McDonald's. While on the surface that analogy make sense, most vegans would not apply for such a job. Pharmacists and other health care professionals, on the other hand, have more opportunities to serve people in other ways, than a vegan would have to serve people in McDonald's. Health care is not all about birth control and abortions.

I believe in a woman's right to choose. However, I personally find abortion objectionable. I am currently going to nursing school and I would never choose to work in an abortion clinic upon graduation. However, working in a pharmacy is not like working in an abortion clinic. The morning after pill is only one pill out of thousands. The pharmacist has a right to maintain his values, but he must provide another way for the patient to be served - i.e. allow someone else to dispense the medication.

[anotherdrew]

34. is it too late to retroactivly abort this pharmacist? n/t

[HannibalBarca]

35. I can already hear the chastisement of pharmacists everywhere..

.."they're not doctor's, they're pill counters", "they're expert at selling combs etc"...
We aren't all religious zealots who (as far as I'm concerned) do not fulfil our duties. Believe me you can get many medics who are equally as nutty, I've met them.
Personally I think this is reprehensible, a professional should discharge his/her duties irrespective of his/her own beliefs/hallucinations/mirages...whatever.

[Vinca]

38. This is going to take women who become pregnant after being

denied the morning after pill suing the pharmacies for the cost of bearing and rearing a child (all the way through college).

[Sirveri]

42. When I leave the military, I'm getting a cashier job.

Just so that I can refuse to sell things based on my own personal moral belief.

You're too fat, you can't have that food which will cause you to gain weight.
I don't like tobacco, I won't sell that to you.
Alcohol, I think the age should be 50 for alcohol consumption, no sale for you either.

How long before I get fired. And would I be allowed to sue the store afterwards?

[stonebone]

43. keep the heat on these people

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

44. Why do I think if I were a hangman I couldn't get away with this?

Sorry, I will not hang the inmate because I am against the death penalty...