SEATTLE — Druggists who believe ‘morning-after’ birth control pills are tantamount to abortion can’t stand in the way of a patient’s right to the drugs, state regulators have decided. In a unanimous vote Thursday, the state Board of Pharmacy ruled that drug stores have a duty to fill lawful prescriptions despite an individual pharmacist’s personal objections to any particular medication. Pharmacists or drug stores that violate the rules could face discipline from the board, which has the power to revoke state licenses. The Washington State Catholic Conference and Human Life Washington, an anti-abortion group, predicted a court challenge, saying the rule wrongly forces pharmacists to administer medical treatments they consider immoral. ‘I don’t think pharmacists who adhere to traditional moral precepts are going to allow their conscience to be overrun by the Board of Pharmacy,’ said Dan Kennedy, Human Life’s chief executive. Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Amy Luftig said the ruling ‘ensures that men and women will have access to their health care.’ ‘It also respects a pharmacist’s personal beliefs, so long as that doesn’t come before a patient’s needs,’ she said. Sold as Plan B, emergency contraception is a high dose of the […]

Read the Full Article