OTTAWA, July 29 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A growing number of U.S. pharmacists are refusing to distribute abortifacients, reported The Washington Times yesterday, in an article about the morning-after concoction known as Preven. The report was very clear about the central role played by the controversy over the definition of pregnancy, quoting Preven supporters who see pregnancy beginning with implantation in the womb and citing the commitment of pro-life pharmacists to the historic medical view that pregnancy begins at conception.
The decisions of pharmacists are not without consequence, claims Dr. Bogomir Kuhar, executive director of Pharmacists for Life International (PFLI), who told the Times that “some pharmacists have been harassed, demoted, had jobs shifted and been terminated” because of their personal beliefs. The article also comments on the dismissal of Kmart pharmacist, Karen Brauer, for refusing to dispense the birth control pill Micronor in 1996.
The article also talks about the headway being made in some states with conscience clause legislation designed to protect pro-life pharmacists from harassment and employment discrimination. It notes, in particular, South Dakota, Oregon and New Jersey, which have already passed such legislation.