OT Birth Control

[Trekhawk]

Checking thru my mail today and I come across a letter from The Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. Scratching my head I undo the envelope - never heard of this group and not sure why they are sending me mail. Anyway I start reading and the gist of the letter seems to be about bills passed in 22 states allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control prescriptions based on their personal, moral or religious objections.

Now I know this is a probably a sensitive issue so Im not asking for opinions on this just whether it is true or not.

Hey I dont even know how Im on their mailing list.

[Veronica]

That's funny - I got one of those today too.

V.

[DrBee]

Yes it is true. That's all I'll say - don't want to go political.

[Trekhawk]

Thanks Fishdr - just wanted to know for sure.

Hey V see we are special (LOL probably half of TE got them).

[mimitabby]

Planned Parenthood has been around at least since the 1960's; that's where i went as an 18 year old for free birth control pills!!
(those were the days!)

[Trekhawk]

Planned Parenthood has been around at least since the 1960's; that's where i went as an 18 year old for free birth control pills!!
(those were the days!)

Thanks mimitabby - being from Australia I dont know a whole lot about anything here in the USA but Im learning.

[Deanna]

I haven't gotten that email, but I first heard about it a year ago. It's true that some pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control, in one case, the pharmacist even refused to give the prescription back to the patient. I guess the best policy on a personal level, either way, is to support the pharmacist you agree with with your dollars.

[Brandy]

What a stupid bill. I don't usually engage in political discussions, but seriously. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

[pyxichick]

This one drives me crazy, so I won't rant as long as I'd like to, but...

It obviously doesn't occur to some people that there are lots of reasons why someone would take birth control pills. In my case, it's because I tend to get very anemic and would prefer not to lose the extra blood. I'm sure other people have reasons as well that have nothing to do with offending certain pharmacists' "morals."

argh.:mad:

[KSH]

This one drives me crazy, so I won't rant as long as I'd like to, but...

It obviously doesn't occur to some people that there are lots of reasons why someone would take birth control pills. In my case, it's because I tend to get very anemic and would prefer not to lose the extra blood. I'm sure other people have reasons as well that have nothing to do with offending certain pharmacists' "morals."

argh.:mad:

Tell me about it!

I would bleed 20 out of 30 days if it weren't for the depo shot I get from Planned Parenthood.

Not to mention, I don't want kids... ever.

[Lise]

I am a licensed health care provider (Certified Nurse Midwife). I have a state and a federal license to prescribe certain medications. *I* prescribe. They (the pharmacists) *dispense*. If they don't want to *dispense* what I prescribe, perhaps they should get a new career.

I've worked for Planned Parenthood. Not free, but certainly affordable contraceptive and basic gyne care.

[massbikebabe]

Lise;

I agree whole heartedly!!! One of the most popular, (and first), prescriptions I ever wrote was for the morning after pill. I was raised Catholic, I remain Catholic but who the hell am I to force motherhood on anyone:mad: If these pharmacists don't want to fill effective and safe contraceptive prescriptions than they need to get out of the business...or do like I do...bless yourself everytime you take a pill!!:o


karen
can you tell this topic rocks my world

[Kitsune06]

Stupid bill. I agree. They were there when I was 17, stupid, and needed Plan B, they were there when I was 18 and wanted to be careful and used Depo (ok, not so smart knowing what I know now, but it works for some)
I have no idea how some people can be so morally wrapped up in such silly things. BC prevents abortions (among other awful things). Kids aren't going to stop having sex because they don't have BC or condoms, they're just going to do it anyway and act all surprised when they're 15 and pregnant, then run to Planned Parenthood or someone else for an abortion- something rapidly becoming more and more difficult to come by.

Naturally, I have pretty decent BC reassurance, but the whole concept upsets me. It's like denying someone insulin because you don't personally believe man should try to keep someone alive who would otherwise die. :mad:

...okay, that's as political as I'll get. I get all upset etc over this stuff, and inevitably nothing will change anyway but my blood pressure.

[pooks]

A very popular OB-Gyn amongst my friends was Catholic and didn't prescribe birth control. On the other hand, he had his patients schedule their BC appts. with one of his partners who did prescribe. They adored the guy, didn't mind having his partner handle the birth control issues, and thought he showed a lot of integrity.

I went to him a few times after my BC had been permanently arranged, ahem. I liked him and could see why they thought he was worth the extra effort.

BUT -- that's the difference between a doctor who knows you intimately (ahem, ahem) and a pharmacist who, as has been said, "dispenses."

And to keep the prescription? Outrageous.

[donnambr]

I think my girlfriend who is a pharmacist put it well when she said, "So I think obese people are committing the sin of gluttony and their high blood pressure is a punishment from God. Now I can refuse to fill their prescriptions for beta blockers!"

So if you're looking for a pharmacist in Bellevue, WA who'd never refuse to fill anything legal, PM me...

[tomgrrrl]

They get a license, it's their job to fill prescriptions, no "ifs, ands or buts!" If they don't like filling certain prescriptions, they need to look for work elsewhere.....imho.

[DDH]

I remember this issue coming up about a year or more ago. Some pharmacist decided it was against his morals to fill the morning after pill because he felt he was helping with aborting a fetus. So that was the only thing I was ever aware of that they were having issues with. I guess they have taken it a step further now. Wonder what will be next? :eek:

[Pyannyplayer]

I'm Catholic and am on birth control....for the next year....without taking the placebos (can we say that I'm pretty excited that I won't have a period for the next year!!). I'm taking them because the uterine wall is enlarged (I had a biopsy - no cancer, but my cells are "disorganized"). This is to help shrink the uterine wall and hopefully avoid further treatment. Why should a pharmacist decide if I should have my prescription? He may or may not know why I'm taking it. Golly.

I feel that I shouldn't be forcing my beliefs on anyone else nor should anyone force theirs on me. We're all old enough to decide for ourselves and we have to live with those decisions.

Just my two cents worth.

Lorie

[doc]

I think my girlfriend who is a pharmacist put it well when she said, "So I think obese people are committing the sin of gluttony and their high blood pressure is a punishment from God. Now I can refuse to fill their prescriptions for beta blockers!"


Well put!!

I get absolutely NUTSO when I hear crud like this. People pushing their personal moral agenda on complete strangers. If you won't dispense pills you should get FIRED. That's your job. If you want to pass judgment on others, and force your will onto them as well, then you need higher powers.

PS Planned parenthood is a wonderful organization (regardless of one's opinion on abortion). Yes tehy provide abortion, but their goal is prevention. They help out zillions of women who don't have the wherewithall to take care of their gyn health and take control of their lives/futures by having only PLANNED PARENTHOOD. No "whoops".

[SalsaMTB]

Seems like it would be pretty tough for a pharmacist who refuses to fill certain perscriptions to get a job. Not sure if denying them the position because of it would be illegal due to moral beliefs/descrimination, but they are also unable to meet the requirements of their job. If I owned a pharmacy, I wouldn't hire someone who refused to fill a perscription that I we be getting money from every single month!

Guess it's a good thing I don't own a pharmacy!

[Bikingmomof3]

They get a license, it's their job to fill prescriptions, no "ifs, ands or buts!" If they don't like filling certain prescriptions, they need to look for work elsewhere.....imho.

I feel the same way.

[mimitabby]

yeah, what's next; "I don't believe in ritalin, sorry; i won't give you your kid's prescription" ??!?!? :eek:

In the state of washington there has been a huge hullabaloo about this. and there IS no embryo "the morning after".
The good news is; this pill might become an over the counter item to circumvent this problem.

[eclectic]

A lot of pharmacies around here are running at a pretty marginal profit AND we are only 50 miles from Canada. I think it would be suicide for them to refuse on moral grounds.
If a pharmacy refused to fill anything I would take my business elsewhere which is very easy to do, they would be losing a lot as I am on some very expensive asthma meds.

But if they want to go broke on moral grounds so be it.

[Cassandra_Cain]

Right on to all that - about pharmacist's duty being to fill your prescription, NOT to make some sort of moronic moral judgement about whether you should or shouldn't take a given medication.

I've been involved with planned parenthood in the past and think it is a terrific organization. Giving access to resources for the community and especially for low-cost birth control/contraceptives as well as GYN services.

[chickwhorips]

wow this is the first i'm hearing about this. amazing. i can't belive a public pharmacy can refuse to fill a Rx. not only that but not give back the Rx to take it to another pharmacy.

i actually just went in yesterday to talk about my BC. ironic. no problems with my healthcare provider or the place i send my Rx to. i'm glad too. not only do i not want to have kids right now (the 4 legged ones are just fine with me) but i also don't want to have my period every other week.

[Deanna]

wow this is the first i'm hearing about this. amazing. i can't belive a public pharmacy can refuse to fill a Rx. not only that but not give back the Rx to take it to another pharmacy.

I think it's being allowed because we really don't have "public" pharmacies in the United States. They're all privately owned--so they can make their own rules. I repeat myself here, but vote/show support with your wallets!! If the pharmacy I used decided to stop selling birth control (even though I get mine in the doctors office) I would not spend one cent in that store again. And do you really want to use a pharmacist ignorant enough to not be aware of the other benefits of birth control pills?

[mimitabby]

And do you really want to use a pharmacist ignorant enough to not be aware of the other benefits of birth control pills?
Is it about ignorance (i don't think they're ignorant of what you can do with the pills) or more like, NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
Can you imagine being in that position, in a line at the drugstore having to explain to some idiot that no, it's not for that, it's for this!
But it HAS happened to some woman...

[Lenusik]

"...allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control prescriptions based on their personal, moral or religious objections"

So, moral objectives? Hmm, very interesting. And who has a right to decide who's got good or bad moral objectives or whose religion is better than someone else's. Or if a drug adict decides that she needs a pill, and because of her "morals" she is not given one. Is she supposed to have a baby in her condition? What a stupid bill. Just stupid!

[7rider]

My fantasy conversation with this pharmacist:
"So.....Pharmacist....
You don't want to fill my prescription because you are morally opposed to birth control?
Geez, that's great. To each his own. You are very welcome to hold that view.
I, however, am not morally opposed to birth control.
So how about this?
You give me what my doctor has legally prescribed to me, and YOU don't have to take the pill????
What is the problem here???" :confused: :confused:

[Lise]

If a pharmacists do not want to dispense medications, they should not accept the paycheck from the employer who hired them to dispense medications. Problem solved.

[WrensMom]

This entire topic makes me nuts. I think I did hear that the state of Illinois passed a law that makes it illegal for a pharmacist to refuse to dispense a prescription, though. Kudos to them!

[DrBee]

I received my petition in the mail today!

[Deanna]

If a pharmacists do not want to dispense medications, they should not accept the paycheck from the employer who hired them to dispense medications. Problem solved.

The employers are allowing individual pharmacists to make their own decisions.

[btchance]

Personally, I find this all ridiculous. During the birth control lecture we had, the doctor went out of her way to point out to us that just because we can prescribe the morning after pill to our patients doesn't equal them being able to get it filled. Apparently there are only 2-3 pharmacies in Birmingham that will give it out, which is just horrific.

As a side note, what the doctors are taught about birth control is not exactly the same as what the pharmacists are taught. Our lecturer went through a number of "myths" about birth control and side effects, then when I mentioned these to a friend who just graduated from pharmacy school, guess what? She was taught that all these "myths" were true! So which one is right? I sure don't know. I do know that everyone should have access to birth control and the morning after pill. Anything less is wrong for the woman, her partner, and any future children she may have because she was unable to prevent it. This sort of thing should never happen, in my opinion.

[Kitsune06]

What horrified me today was my ex husband emailing me today in a tizzy because apparently in addition to this, abortions have been banned in S. Dakota. Is that true? I didn't think Roe v. Wade etc could be overturned in such a way- that an individual state could make a ban like that...

Oh. Here we go.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/06/sd.abortion/

Weirder things have happened of late.
Your rights are on the line... better darned well sign that petition if you believe in these rights... too many people let this stuff slide.

[crazycanuck]

I know i'm an outsider in all this but would like to state how it looks from outside the USA. I keep reading about items such as this and wonder how can people actually accept it? What's happening in the USA guys??? Is it the ' Big Kahuna's believers" making waves?

Reading your posts gives me some relief as i was under the impression most americans agree with the changes. I wasnt' sure if anyone was actually standing up & saying " oi what the(((( do you think you're doing" !

As kitsune said, sign the petition if you can.

Australia & NZ have encountered similar problems-The Australian Federal health Minister tried to ban RU486 but that didn't work...

c

[Aggie_Ama]

I read a horrifying article in a magazine that one woman was refused the morning after pill at a hospital after being raped. :eek: She stated refusing the pill was refusing a victim of rape the right to heal. I believe she said she was anti-abortion but would never consider carrying a rapist's baby.

This whole debate completely freaks me out and angers me. As many have said, a lot of people take birth control for things other than birth control. And what drug is next? Would we get someone on a Tom Cruise-like crusade against anti-depressants refusing those? Would someone refuse my anti-convulsants because I could learn to manage my movement disorder naturally? I had one kooky neurologist tell me I was experiencing a lot of side effects from one medicine and would benefit from the power and strength of prayer. And once I found those I would find the drugs unnecessary. I do pray and believe, yet I was still shaking and depressed to boot! :mad:

[Saxa82]

What's even freakier, but just as morally wrong, is that most insurance companies in the US will not cover prescription birth control methods. But does anyone kow if BC pills are covered under insurance plans if they are used off-schedule, that is for purposes such as peri-menopausal hormone therapy or other reasons such as have been described by other women on this thread?

[Pyannyplayer]

My insurance is covering mine and I'm not taking them for birth control. Still, I have to spend $10 every three weeks for them. Oh well. I told my husband that if he felt like it, he could call me hormonal any time he wanted - because it will be true :rolleyes: (He wouldn't do that, though, because he's a wonderful man :) )

Lorie

[SalsaMTB]

My insurance covers it as long as I use mail order. I use it for, well, birth control! DH and I are not ready for babies yet!

[DebW]

What horrified me today was my ex husband emailing me today in a tizzy because apparently in addition to this, abortions have been banned in S. Dakota. Is that true? I didn't think Roe v. Wade etc could be overturned in such a way- that an individual state could make a ban like that...


I thought this happened several months ago. Did the governor just now sign it, or am I thinking of another state? There is a referendum going on the November ballot in SD to repeal the anti-abortion law. Hopefully the people will undo what their idiotic legislature has done. I believe that the law cannot be enforced now since it conflicts with Roe v Wade, but sets up a court challenge that some hope will overturn Roe (given Bush's recent Supreme Court appointments). This is why it's so important to fight for fair Supreme Court nominees (not to mention the guy who appoints them).

[mimitabby]

Planned Parenthood is one of the charities i donate to. The united states is being steered by a religious extreme which is almost as extreme as the Al Quaeda guys.
Most Americans are not happy about this..

[Lenusik]

All these bans and anti-abortion laws make me sick. I've on BC pills for two years before we decided to have a baby. And it made our lives so much mor comfortable. But with all these regulations, can you imagine how many women will suffer. How many of them will hurt themselves because someone refused them a next morning pill? How many will by drugs illegally? How many will go to other countries to get what they rightfully should get? Will these state and nation governments ever understand what they are doing?

[chickwhorips]

thats the scary thing. there is going to be alot of "bootleg pills" out there if places won't fill the Rx. the price is high anyhow if you don't have insurance for a pack of pills and will only go up if people can't get them filled.

when i was talking to my np the other day she said it made her sick when her clinic would get the pills for $0.50 a pack and turn around and sell them for $20.00. can you just imagin how much more it would go up.

my pills are covered under my insurance. i mail them to caremark and they are filled 3 packs at a time for $10. i'm VERY happy for that one.

[Duck on Wheels]

I haven't gotten that email, but I first heard about it a year ago. It's true that some pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control, in one case, the pharmacist even refused to give the prescription back to the patient. I guess the best policy on a personal level, either way, is to support the pharmacist you agree with with your dollars.

Easy enough for those of us with lots of pharmacies to choose amongst. But what if you're out in the boondocks somewhere and it's miles and miles to the "nearest" pharmacy that will actually fill your prescription -- maybe even over a state line! What then? The "vote with your feet" consumerist solution doesn't always hack it.