On Jan. 23, a rape victim in Denton, Texas went to an Eckerd’s pharmacy to fill her prescription for an emergency contraceptive, commonly known as the “morning-after pill.” When she gave the prescription to the three pharmacists working there, however, they refused to fill the prescription. One of the pharmacists, Gene Herr, said he refused to fill the prescription for religious reasons, according to an Associated Press story. The victim eventually went to another pharmacy for her prescription.
While Eckerd Corp. has refused to comment concerning the pharmacists’ employment status, Herr said Wednesday that “he and two co-workers were fired Jan. 29.” Eckerd, however, has only said the company has taken “appropriate disciplinary action.”
Herr’s refusal went directly against Eckerd’s employment manual, which says a pharmacist cannot refuse a prescription for religious, moral or ethical reasons. Herr’s decision was based on his belief the pill might kill the developing embryo, and he even said he asked for religious advice before refusing the prescription.
“I actually called my pastor … and asked him what he thought about it,” Herr said, according to the AP.
If the pharmacists were fired, as per Herr’s admittance, it was the correct and only option Eckerd could have made. Even had the guidelines concerning reasons to opt out of filling a prescription not been part of their employee policy, Eckerd still would have been held responsible by the public for the immediate dismissal of pharmacists acting completely out of line.
A pharmacist’s only responsibility to a patient is his or her medical well-being – he or she is are able to decline to fill out a prescription if the requested drug is known to be harmful when combined with other drugs the patient is taking. But their jurisdiction must end there, and does in the cases of most pharamcies. For a pharmacist to deny a rape victim a day-after pill in his or her own quest to preserve an embryo is a superceding of every ruling, judgement and sentencing concerning abortion rights – no single person has that political power, and should never try to enforce that falsely wielded power.
Kudos to Eckerd – whether it admits it or not – for ridding the medical world of a soldier for religion in a practice that should be unbiased and scientific. The Gospel should be spread from behind a pulpit, not a pharmacy counter.
