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British Muslim Pharmacist Under Attack for Refusing to Give Woman Abortifacient Pill

By Peter J. Smith

MANCHESTER, UK, May 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A UK Muslim pharmacist is under attack for refusing to dispense an abortifacient emergency contraceptive to a British couple on the grounds that he would be violating his Islamic faith.

The pharmacist of a Sainsbury chemist (drugstore) in Manchester told Chris Mellett, 29, and Kaye Walsh, 36, that it was against his Islamic beliefs to provide the couple the abortifacient drugs which they had requested. Mellett and Walsh had earlier discovered that their contraception method failed, and were looking for the abortifacient "morning-after" pill, which works by suppressing ovulation and can cause the death of a conceived embryo by making the womb a hostile environment to implantation.

The Manchester Evening News reported the pharmacist redirected the couple to another chemist in Denton in conformity with Sainsburys' policies. However the couple had not left themselves sufficient time to make the trip, since they made their request just 15 minutes before closing time.

Pro-abortion advocates in the country have excoriated the Muslim pharmacist for acting according to his religious convictions and accused him of forcing his beliefs on customers.

"We're outraged," said spokesman Anne Quesney of Marie Stopes International - an organization dedicated to the work of Scottish eugenicist Marie Stopes - according to the Daily Star. "It is not up to any practitioner or pharmacist to impose their own beliefs on their patients."

Sainsburys came to the defence of its pharmacist and said he was well within his rights to refuse to supply the morning-after pill. A spokesman said all Sainsburys pharmacists were governed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and the society's ethics code permits a pharmacist to refuse to distribute the abortifacient contraception if it violates their personal, religious or moral beliefs.

Both Mellett and Walsh were livid that they were powerless to impose their beliefs on the Muslim pharmacist.

"I was absolutely flabbergasted," said Walsh, a mother of two not looking forward to a third child. "I'm a 36-year-old woman, not a child. I respect other people's religions, but when it affects my life it's not on."

"Surely the pharmacist has a duty of care? If religion comes into it he should change his job."

Mellett admitted he should have given himself more than 15 minutes before closing to get the abortifacient pill, but was dumbfounded that a pharmacist could refuse based on conscience reasons.

"I should have been more organised but why should we be discriminated against because of someone else's religion?" he said. "It's my right to buy that pill."

This is the second high profile incident in two years involving Muslim pharmacists refusing abortifacient pills to Britons intent on contracepting themselves out of existence. In October 2006, a Muslim pharmacist with the Lloyds chemist chain was under criticism for refusing the abortifacient Plan B medication to another British woman, Jo-Ann Thomas, whose initial contraception failed.  Lloyds management supported the pharmacist's decision against Thomas, who then resorted to surgical abortion.

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

UK Pharmacy Applauded for Upholding Muslim Pharmacist's Right to Refuse Early Abortion Drug
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06101902.html

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