Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel & Director of State Reproductive Health Policy

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.