I just heard some jaws hitting the floor, but this time he’s getting screwed by much of the local press. His order to force pharmacies to dispense pharmaceuticals that the pharmacy chooses to carry isn’t being explained very well. Carol Marin, in defending the Governor, doesn’t even do a good job.
An LA Times piece points out what the order actually does and why it should be non-controversial.
If an individual pharmacist will not provide birth control pills because of moral or religious beliefs, the drugstore must have a plan to ensure that the patient receives the pills promptly.
In most cases, that means having another pharmacist on hand to dispense the drug.
The policy does not require that all drugstores carry contraceptives; many don’t, especially in Catholic hospitals.
But if the pharmacy has them, it must dispense them to anyone with a valid prescription ? or risk suspension of its license, said Susan Hofer of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which oversees pharmacies.
This isn’t about requiring every pharmacy to carry contraceptives, it’s about when they choose to carry a pharmaceutical, a legal prescription must be filled.
The Governor didn’t waiver on this, he didn’t grandstand, and he didn’t do anything but order pharmacies to do what they’ve already chosen to do. I’m happy to criticize him when he deserves it, but with that comes a responsibility to point out when he does the right thing. This is one of those cases.
Quick Update: The Trib’s editorial does a good job on the issue.
And this is for all you Blago haters out there: Yesterday, Colorado Governor Bill Owens vetoed a bill which would have required hospitals to notify women that emergency contraception is available. Owens believes that rapists have the right to procreate. This is NOT an abortion pill–it prevents pregnancy.
So while we all like to give Blago hell (me as much as anybody) at least he occasionally showboats for the right side.
Bill Owens is a dirty bastard and Republicans actually name him as potential presidential material.
As a guy who’s turned 50 I’m more concerned about the growing shortage of healthcare workers, including Pharmacists, instead of getting into the emotional stuff about what scripts they can and should fill….google “pharmacist shortage” or try http://www.rximmigration.com/
I’m not sure how ph*rmacies filling legal prescriptions for which they carry is emotional. It appears to be providing care for patients for whom they stock products.
The Hypocrisy
I’m still steaming about the pharmacists who think they can deny customers because the pharmacist’s religious beliefs oppose birth control. On the up side, Governor B. (B for Blagojevich – see second photo) did the right thing by tellling
So when are you wingnutters going to owe up to the fact that Me Martinez made up that memo?
Any retractions coming from the wingnutosphere?
I think that these pharmacists are all talk and no walk.
I think you are dead on target. I don’t think he grandstanded on this one either. However, having the pro-abortion groups support this means that pro-lifers have to jerk their knees. Had he done the opposite, it would have been the other way around.
To me, this is much ado about very little.
It’s a great move on the Governor’s part, to take the decision out of the ph*rmacists’ hands and make the ph*rmacy responsible for dispensing LEGAL (let’s not forget that) medications that they keep in stock.
While this measure may work in Chicago, the smaller towns in the red parts of the country are not so lucky.
You know, pretty much small towns have more than one ph*rmacy not too far away and while I’m not a fan, a Walmart which stocks most everything but Preven. It’s not many places that this will impact in terms of reducing access. There’s a small issue of whether extra doses of birth control pills might be at issue, but that’s it.
Read Steve Chapman in Thursday’s Trib. If I’m not mistaken he is anti-abortion, a point where I generally disagree with him. But he makes an excellent point. Pharmicists should not be forced to break their own moral standards. On the other hand, the pharmacies should not be forced to hire pharmacists that will not dispense the drugs they choose to carry.
Why are these pharmacists any different than other people who are forced to break their own moral standards at their jobs? I left two jobs because at the end of the day I realized that I couldn’t support immoral usury and killing. Many people make similar ethical decisions every day and as usual, they don’t make a big friggin’ deal out of it.
If the pharmacist feels that doing their job breaks their own moral standards, then they should get a new job that supports their world view. That is moral and ethical behavior.
These conservative pharmacists, who are being fronted by a small anti-abortion group, just want to keep their fat pay checks and play out their storyline that they are being “moral”. I find their actions hypocritical. Too much talk, not enough walk.
Also, there are a bunch of medical reasons for taking “birth control pills” (actually should be called by what they are – hormones drugs) and the reasons have nothing to do with birth control. Don’t the pharmacists know this? Of course they do! They don’t care if they are misrepresenting the issue – they just want to get their game on – posturing like hypocrites. I’m so tired of the far-right’s posturing and using people with health issues as political footballs.
They have taken a legally and medically indefensible position and played politics with womens’ health. (busy-body Republicans playing politics with individuals’ health concerns -hmmm…. that sounds familiar….)
And then too, as a friend of mine said:
Where do these guys get the notion that they are moral doctors? Get a new job if you can’t fill a script because it upsets your ignorant world-view. Grrr.
Maybe some pharmacists will stop giving cholesterol meds to people and tell people just to eat better!
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