Reply #56: Walgreens places 4 pharmacists on leave - Contraceptive wasn't dispensed [View All]

[TeeYiYi]

Walgreens places 4 pharmacists on leave
Contraceptive wasn't dispensed

By Jim Suhr, Associated Press | December 1, 2005

ST. LOUIS -- Walgreen Co. said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule.
Article Tools

The four cited religious or moral objections to filling prescriptions for the morning-after pill and ''have said they would like to maintain their right to refuse to dispense, and in Illinois that is not an option," Walgreen spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said.

A rule imposed by Governor Rod Blagojevich in April requires Illinois pharmacies that sell contraceptives approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control.

<snip>

Walgreen, based in Deerfield, Ill., put the four on leave Monday, Bruce said. She would not identify them. They will remain on unpaid leave ''until they either decide to abide by Illinois law or relocate to another state" without such a rule or law.

More: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/12/01/walgreens_places_4_pharmacists_on_leave/

TYY