Declaration of Self-determination Through Medication Limitation

Whew, that was a mouthful.

Here's what it boils down to. Pharmacists across the country are being persecuted (i.e. fired and sued) for refusing to dispense birth-control pills and the emergency contraception pill, aka the "morning after" pill.

The arguments:

Pharmacists
1) Some pharmacists believe that by dispensing these they are helping to commit abortion.
2) Some pharmacists believe dispensing these (especially the morning after pill) they are condoning or at least accommodating life choices they disagree with.
3) As health care professionals, pharmacists have the right not to dispense any medication they don't want to, just as gynecologists aren't required to perform abortion if the patient demands it.

Patients
1) It's emergency contraception. Therefore, it prevents pregnancy, not terminates it.
2) You're a pharmacist, not a doctor. Just dispense what the doctor orders.
3) Who invited the pharmacist into the bedroom?

My problems with the arguments:

To pharmacists:
-Pharmacists around the nation are refusing mostly to fill the morning after pill, while practically every pharmacy in the nation dispenses birth control tablets every day. It has been proven that these two medications work in the same way, so filling one and not the other is slightly hypocritical. Although, birth control is used for indications other than just contraception.

-While I probably agree with the beliefs of those that refuse to dispense the morning after pill because they don't want to condone or accommodate the life choices they feel lead to the prescribing of this medication, I don't think the pharmacy is the place to proclaim our beliefs to our patients.

To patients:
-Actually, we are doctors. That's what the "D" in Pharm.D. is for.

-Sounds good, I'll stay out of your bedroom if you keep your bedroom out of my pharmacy.

-While the name of the pill is emergency contraception, the word contraception is based on the medical definition of pregnancy which is said to begin at implantation of the fertilized egg, while some believe that life begins at fertilization. So, the argument that it isn't abortion because the name says contraception is a little biased.

So there's your dilemma, when does life begin? Do you follow the experts definition? Do you follow the conventional scientific definition of life (i.e. one or more cells)?
Amy and I have made our decision. (no, that doesn't mean she's pregnant)

The consequences (which is our real plight):
Law makers in several states are trying to pass legislation requiring pharmacists to fill any valid prescription presented to them, while other states have already passed laws allowing pharmacists to refuse filling these medications.

If legislation is passed requiring the dispensing of all valid prescriptions, what will we do as pharmacists when new drugs are available that are in fact abortion pills? or medication for assisted suicide (which is already done in Oregon)?