From the files of "That's a law?" comes a story out of Milledgeville, GA. Brittany Cartrett had recently received the sad news that five weeks into her pregnancy she had miscarried.
"So we made the decision to not do a D&C and to get a medicine. So he said I'm going to give you this medicine, you'll take it, and it will help you to pass naturally so that you don't have to go the more invasive route", said Brittany Cartrett.
The doctor's office called the Milledgeville Walmart to fill the prescription but they were told no and they were not given a reason.
They found another place to fill that prescription but when Cartrett went to the original Walmart pharmacy to get another prescription she had there, she asked the pharmacist:
"So we found another place to fill it but I still had to go up there to get another prescription so when I went up there she asked if I had any questions about this prescription I said no I don't but I do have a question about the other one. And she looks at my name and she says oh, well...I couldn't think of a valid reason why you would need this prescription", Cartrett said.
Pretty amazing, right? The pharmacist gets to veto the doctor. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of "refusal clauses," sometimes euphemistically called "conscience clauses."
In some states, legislators are introducing bills that would explicitly grant pharmacists the right to refuse to dispense drugs related to contraception on moral grounds. Other state legislators are introducing legislation that would require pharmacies to fill any legal prescription for birth control, much like the former Governor's emergency rule in Illinois, which requires pharmacies to provide the morning after pill.
Six states (Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, and South Dakota) have passed laws allowing a pharmacist to refuse to dispense emergency contraception drugs. Illinois passed an emergency rule that requires a pharmacist to dispense FDA approved contraception. Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine and Tennesee have broad refusal clauses that do not specifically mention pharmacists.
reading this article only points to one thing no matter how many catch phrases and names they use it boils down to denial of right wing entities to respect person or life lay people superseding trained licensed Dr.'s and refusing to fill prescriptions. we know that some medications that are known for a specific treatment can be given for other problems not related. i find it suspicious that an employee would take it upon themselves to make such an egregious decision. given the employer is Walmart with all their right wing trappings could this be an issued mandate in support of republican war on women and contraception???
