A Prescription For Morality?

Since its invention, the pill has come under much scrutiny. Controversies surrounding oral contraception have been in the public eye for years. Some oppose its use for personal or religious reasons, but a disturbing trend is popping up in pharmacies and emergency rooms across the nation. Should healthcare officials reserve the right to refuse birth control and emergency contraceptive to women who have obtained a prescription from their physician?

Ninety-five percent of American women will have used some form of contraception during their lifetimes, and fifty percent use prescribed birth control. Oral contraception alters hormone balances to prevent fertilization. It does not induce menstruation to prevent pregnancy- a misconception that some pharmacists are using to categorize the pill as an abortion method.

Reports of refusal have been documented since the early nineties. Some pharmacists refuse to fill these prescriptions claiming they are sinful and immoral. Conservative opinions like these are offensive but not uncommon.

Pharmacists are an important part of today’s health care industry. They are a service to the public in the distribution and education of medications we are prescribed. Pharmacists make sure our health is not at risk due to drug interactions. They are well educated professionals- but some are allowing moral obligations to come before professional obligations.

Currently, forty-six states have refusal clauses written into state legislation that allows health care professionals refuse contraceptive methods, and similar laws are being considered in Washington.

Oral contraception is not always used to prevent pregnancy. It is also used to regulate hormonal imbalances and relieve symptoms of reproductive disorders. Refusing to fill a prescription for a medical condition borders on neglect.

Refusing birth control on a professional level seems, well, unprofessional. The existence of women’s rights is something relatively new in America. We have come a long way to obtain voting, legal, and reproductive rights. Title IX was a stepping stone in a quest for equality in society. Each woman has the ability to make a personal choice regarding birth control. This decision should not be affected by others, especially those we go to for medical care.

Situations like birth control refusal seem to be taking a back seat to ‘larger’ political and social issues today. But what can be more important than the welfare of millions of Americans? The implementation of refusal clauses seems like a backtrack for women’s rights.

Works Cited
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/refusal-clauses-6544.htm