Out Of Their Minds: August

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Pharmacy Flap

Any Reason To Reject an RX?

By Rich Ehisen

Across the country, more and more pharmacists are refusing to fill legal prescriptions they say violate their religious or moral beliefs. Almost all these rejections have involved pharmacists refusing to fill orders for birth-control pills or post-coital emergency contraceptives such as RU 486, the so-called “morning-after pill.” 
    Four states already allow druggists to legally reject these prescriptions and many more are pursuing similar legislation. Others, including California, are considering laws that would require pharmacies to fill any legal order.
    To get both sides of this issue, we sat down recently with Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, a Democrat representing the 40th Assembly District (Van Nuys, San Fernando Valley) and the author of AB 21, legislation that would enact a “must-fill” directive on Golden State pharmacists. We also talked with Amy Koons, legislative liaison for the Capitol Resource Institute, a Sacramento faith-based advocacy group that opposes Levine’s measure.

Lloyd Levine:
Continued...

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