What in the hell is going on in Minnesota?

[Sub Atomic]

Bill would let pharmacists refuse to dispense drugs


MINNESOTA:The Legislature is considering measures allowing pharmacists to reject prescriptions for moral or religious reasons.

ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Legislature is poised to pass a law that walks the fine line between allowing pharmacists to obey their consciences and getting patients the drugs they've been prescribed.

Measures ready for floor votes in the state House and Senate would each create a law to permit druggists to refuse to dispense medications to which they object for moral or religious reasons. The bills, which are different in the House and Senate, were prompted after a handful of pharmacists across the country declined to give women birth control pills or emergency contraception, including at least two cases in Minnesota.

.snip.


http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/14355787.htm

:wtf:

[Left Is Write]

1. They're taking over my state.

[rodeodance]

11. we have the same thing occuring in neighboring Wisconsin.

[Nobody]

2. I am going to inform all of my friends

who deliver food not to deliver anything containing ingredients they are opposed to. My vegan friends can refuse to deliver meat products. My Jewish friends can refuse to deliver pork products.

Why are pharmacists allowed to pick and choose which customers they serve and no one else gets to without losing their jobs?

Oh yeah. I forgot. It's all about controlling other people's fertility.

I live in MN and this is a blue state, so blue that we did NOT give our electoral votes to Saint Ronnie Raygun. Ever.

[question everything]

12. Not as blue as it was in 1984.

It was such a progressive states that many Republicans moved to take advantage of the good schools and environment in the state and now, of course, refuse to pay taxes to support the same programs.

If you remember, Minnesota was a battle state two years ago and will be in two years. It was well into the night before MN was called for Kerry. I really worry about future elections.

[BillZBubb]

3. The Fundie brain rot is spreading into Minnesota.

They've been trending pinker all the time.

[RagingInMiami]

4. I always thought Minnesota was very liberal

[question everything]

13. The good old days of the 60s and 70s and 80s

See my response, above. Yes, the inner cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are royal blue, but the rest..

Many are church goers and they were convinced that abortion and gay marriage are the most important issues.

[Left Is Write]

15. It was.

[msongs]

5. the American Taliban strikes again! nt

[azurnoir]

6. Pawlenty wants

to leave his legacy and is pandering to the shrinking MN right-wing. His admin intentionaly put dis-information on it's anti-abortion site and refused to remove it for years. If he can get this peice of garbage passed he'll leave his sh**stain on the lives of women he for years to come and after all isn't that the whole point

[BuyingThyme]

7. Thank God, we don't have to hire Catholics anymore.

[katinmn]

8. It will never pass the Senate which is controlled by Dems

Lots of fundie bushlickers in the House but the Senate holds firm on civil rights and health care and I guarantee this will not pass.

Also note that there is no byline on the article, a pretty good sign that it is a plant.

[azurnoir]

10. unfortunately the bill

was co-sponsored by a Dem-Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester
Just checked the state web site main author is Tom Emmer the bill is HF 3032 so this is real

[katinmn]

21. Of course it's real, but it will never pass

[goodhue]

9. Republicans control house and governors mansion

Suburban and rural social convervatives have dominated the last several years. Hopefully 2006 will be a turn around year for the DFL. Remember we have not had a democratic governor since Perpich lost re-election in 1990!

[drhilarius]

14. It's all fun and games until someone refuses...

to give Jesse Ventura his viagra because he shouldn't be having sex with his post-menopausal wife.

[azurnoir]

16. Too late

the FDA already struck down the use of testosterone patchs for post menopausal women to help with libido issues that can develope at that time-their reasoning although tests have not shown any harmful side effects we just can't be too careful. Viagra has been shown to cause blindness and heart attacks but no ones talking about pulling that



sorry off topic:rant:

[Rex]

17. Hi, we are Big Pharm Corp and although we control Congress

like a bunch of lapdogs, we don't *cough* control the guys who hand out our federally approved drugs. Ain't life a bitch? Monopoly on fear of no meds.

Big Pharmacist: "Hope you didn't become dependant on that blood pressure medication. By my moral authority granted from the state, I declare you must lose weight!"

[faithnotgreed]

18. i will never understand that if people dont want to fill prescriptions

for whatever reason

then dont become a pharmacist
you would think it would be that simple

[garybeck]

19. Bill who?

:)

[azurnoir]

20. Before anyone goes off the deep end here's the text

Section 1. <151.415> PROHIBITION AGAINST REFUSING TO DISPENSE A
1.7 LEGEND DRUG OR DEVICE.
1.8 Subdivision 1. Intent. It is the intent of the legislature that pharmacists dispense
1.9 legend drugs and devices in a timely way or provide appropriate referrals for patients to
1.10 obtain the necessary legend drugs and devices, despite the pharmacist's objection to
1.11 dispensing the drugs or devices on ethical, moral, or religious grounds.
1.12 Subd. 2. Prohibition. (a) No pharmacist shall obstruct a patient in obtaining a
1.13 legend drug or device that has been legally prescribed or ordered for that patient. A
1.14 violation of this section constitutes unprofessional conduct by the pharmacist and shall
1.15 subject the pharmacist to disciplinary or administrative action by the Board of Pharmacy.
1.16 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a pharmacist shall dispense drugs
1.17 and devices, as described in section 151.01, subdivision 30, pursuant to a lawful order or
1.18 prescription unless one of the following circumstances exists:
1.19 (1) based solely on the pharmacist's professional training and judgment dispensing
1.20 pursuant to the order or the prescription is contrary to law, or the pharmacist determines
1.21 that the prescribed drug or device would cause a harmful drug interaction or would
1.22 otherwise adversely affect the patient's medical condition;
2.1 (2) the legend drug or device is not in stock. If an order or prescription cannot be
2.2 dispensed because the drug or device is not in stock, the pharmacist shall take one of the
2.3 following actions:
2.4 (i) immediately notify the patient and arrange for the drug or device to be delivered
2.5 to the site or directly to the patient in a timely manner;
2.6 (ii) promptly transfer the prescription to another pharmacy known to stock the
2.7 legend drug or device that is near enough to the site from which the prescription or order
2.8 is transferred, to ensure the patient has timely access to the drug or device; or
2.9 (iii) return the prescription to the patient and refer the patient. The pharmacist shall
2.10 make a reasonable effort to refer the patient to a pharmacy that stocks the legend drug
2.11 or device that is near enough to the referring site to ensure that the patient has timely
2.12 access to the drug or device; or
2.13 (3) the pharmacist refuses on ethical, moral, or religious grounds to dispense a drug
2.14 or device pursuant to an order or prescription. A pharmacist may decline to dispense a
2.15 prescription drug or device on this basis only if the employer has previously been notified
2.16 by the pharmacist, in writing, of the drug or class of drugs to which the pharmacist objects,
2.17 and the pharmacist's employer can, without creating undue hardship, provide a reasonable
2.18 accommodation of the pharmacist's objection. The pharmacist's employer shall establish
2.19 protocols that ensure that the patient has timely access to the prescribed drug or device
2.20 despite the pharmacist's refusal to dispense the prescription or order.
2.21 (c) For the purposes of this section, "legend drug or device" has the same meaning as
2.22 the definition in section 151.01, subdivision 17.
2.23 (d) This section imposes no duty on a pharmacist to dispense a drug or device
2.24 pursuant to a prescription or order without payment for the drug or device, including
2.25 payment directly by the patient or through a third-party payer accepted by the pharmacist
2.26 or payment of any required co-payment by the patient.

Mods not sure if this is "legal"