"Pro-life Pharmacies": A New Way to Deny Women Basic Health Care

by Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center

Just when we thought we’d seen it all in the area of pharmacists who refuse to give women birth control, along come “pro-life pharmacies.” 

A Washington Post story documents a new effort by pharmacists opposed to contraception -- they are creating pharmacies that don’t stock or sell it. At all. No condoms, birth control pills, or emergency contraception. As NWLC’s Co-President Marcia Greenberger said in the article,

"I’m very, very troubled by this. Contraception is essential for women’s health. A pharmacy like this is walling off an essential part of health care. That could endanger women’s health."

According to a poll by the Washington Post, these “pro-life” pharmacies aren’t even letting people know that they won’t sell contraception. As Marcia also said in the article,

"Rape victims could end up in a pharmacy not understanding this pharmacy will not meet their needs. We’ve seen an alarming development of pharmacists over the last several years refusing to fill prescriptions, and sometimes even taking the prescription from the woman and refusing to give it back to her so she can fill it at another pharmacy."

Even if a pharmacist doesn’t actively obstruct the woman, some might just leave her to fend for herself. As one owner of a “pro-life pharmacy” said,

"If I don’t believe something is right, the last thing I want to do is refer to someone else. It’s up to that person to be able to find it."

That can’t be the professional standard taught in pharmacy school.

We’ll continue our work to stop refusals in the pharmacy
and encourage our readers to do what they can: ask your pharmacy
whether it will provide birth control to women without discrimination
or delay, approach your state pharmacy board to protect patient access,
and thank those pharmacists -- the majority, luckily -- who are working
every day to help patients get the health care they need.

ETA: One more thing. My co-worker Julia Kaye just raised an interesting point I wanted to share:

"Perhaps
we should suppress our instinct to comment on the actions of groups or
individuals -- like these 'Pro-Life pharmacy' owners or members of the 'Pill Kills' campaign
-- that are so wildly out-of-touch with the opinions of the American
public as to be, frankly, irrelevant. When we reference them in blog
posts (to vent, to bemoan, to share a good laugh), we may inadvertently
lend credence to the fringe work of fringe groups who are likely
thrilled to receive enough publicity as to almost seem as though they
represent the values of a sizable minority of the population. They
don’t. Americans overwhelmingly support women’s right to access contraceptives
at an affordable price, without government interference or intrusion,
and without experiencing discrimination or delay at the pharmacy.
Though we are right to be troubled by any phenomenon that undermines
women’s access to critical and fundamental forms of health care, like
contraception, let’s also expose these groups for what they are:
unpleasant anomalies."