Food for thought
Are ya hungry?
First, read this story.
It's been a common story the past couple years. How can they have a job they cannot execute to the fullest? If I am told by the doctor I work for to give a child an immunization, but refuse to because of MY personal beliefs, I could potentially be fired for not fulfilling all the expectations of my job.
Change the scenario a bit - Imagine a paramedic comes upon a man having a heart attack. But the paramedic feels that intervening would be going against "god's will" for this man's life (and death), so therefore refuses to provide assistance? Do you think that would go over well? Especially if it was you or a close family member of yours having the heart attack? I bet not.
When someone decides to be a pharmacist, I would think that if they had religious beliefs that would prevent them from dispensing a medication such as birth control pills or the morning after pill, they would hopefully choose to work in a situation that would keep their exposure to filling this type of prescription to a minimum. Same as a nurse that has religious objections to birth control wouldn't work in a gynecology office. Or a person that has religious objections to the consumption of alcoholic beverages wouldn't work in a bar. Or a person who has religious objections to the eating of pork wouldn't work at a spam factory. (Ok. I'll stop. I think you get my gist.)
And here's another thought I've had: If one has an objection to birth control pills or the morning after pill due to religious reasons that they cause death of a living thing (a fetus or the possibility of a fetus), do they they have an objection to antibiotics since those medicines also kill living things (bacteria)?
posted by Mel @ 8:04 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
*munch munch*
i'm thinking, can you get a scrip for the morning-after pill just to carry around in your pocket and then oops, better go get that filled in the middle of the night since i just did the deed? or do you do the deed, then go see a doc, then get it filled?
i say, good for sticking up for your beliefs...but you could be more flexible about your work situation. of course, hardcore christians aren't susposed to be sue-happy, either, and if the morning-after pill is a problem, but suing for your job isn't...tsk, tsk.
First off, the morning after pill referenced in this article is "Plan B" and NOT RU-486. Plan B is the same medication as certain oral contraceptives (levonorgestrel). It used to be that a woman was prescribed an entire month's packet of oral contraceptives and instructed to take a certain number of pills a day for a few days. (This is called "off label" prescribing - prescribing a medication for other than it's original intent.) The older method has been around since the 1960s, so it's nothing brand new. It's just packaged differently now and sold under the trade name of "Plan B".
Often the morning after pill is obtained after *doing the deed*, in cases of broken condoms, condoms that came off, or rape. I'm not naive, and I do know that it is probably often used after doing the deed when two people were not responsible enough to use contraception at all as well. :(
I just think that when a woman makes a decision to use the morning after pill, she arrives at that decision with her doctor. Her choice to use that is between her and her doctor. And should she have to come to terms with her decision with God, then that is between her and her God. The pharmacist doesn't know the situation that caused the woman to arrive at the need to have this prescription. For all the pharmacist knows, this woman standing before him/her was just raped 12 hours prior. Why add insult to injury?
Personally, I advocate abstinence. (My words on it are, "Assume every time you have sex, you are getting pregnant. If you don't want to have the responsibility of having a baby, then don't have sex.") Then my next step is to advocate consistent use of reliable birth control, not only for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, but also for the prevention of STDs. (But hopefully they heeded my first advice and are in a monogamous, married relationship where each person is the first and only partner, and therefore would not need to worry about STDs.) Should birth control fail and a woman ends up unexpectedly pregnant and doesn't want to keep a child, I advocate adoption. I know too many people who are unable to bear children on their own that would ADORE having a child to take care of. I never advocate abortion, unless it is a case of rape or incest or grave danger to the mother's life, but if a woman would choose to go that direction, I would like it to stay legal and therefore SAFE.
After time, if certain pharmacies won't dispense a morning after pill and others do, then word will get around and when a woman is prescribed it, she will know (or be told) where she can and can't go to get her prescription filled. Just like underage kids know which stores will sell them alcohol or cigarettes. (It seems trivial to lump them in the same category, but it was the only analogy I could think of.)
I hope this clarifies my thoughts on the situation. As for these pharmacists, an ideal situation for them would be to always work with another pharmacist that would fill the prescription. Then the pharmacist that doesn't want to fill it won't have to and their personal choice can be respected, and the patient can still have her choice respected and she can get her prescription filled by the pharmacist that doesn't object. That's why I fall on the side of pro-choice. Everyone can choose based on their own personal beliefs.
Carley,
I still love you (and Robanne too!). :) I know there are many people out there who have differing views than me, and many who have the same views as me. Variety is the spice of life! There are many more facets to friendship than just religious beliefs. I could never hate a friend just because they have a different view on things than I do.
Personally, I'd like to see the use of the MAP and abortion to be reserved for emergency use only, and NOT for *everyday* birth control. That would be my ideal. I don't think the MAP should be over the counter - I think that would only encourage it to fall into the *everyday* usage category. Besides, if it were too readily availbale, I think condom use would go down too, and that would not be good either.
Honestly, about the doctors - I feel the same way about them as I do about pharmacists. I would hope that a doc that doesn't want to prescribe birth control works in a situation where he/she wouldn't have to, such as orthopedics, or at the very least, have another doctor available that would prescribe.
I think it's about time I post something more lighthearted, eh? ;)
~Mel
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