AMA takes on pharmacists' moral refusals to fill prescriptions

[maddezmom]

LINDSEY TANNER

Associated Press


CHICAGO - The American Medical Association on Monday agreed to use its clout in seeking to ensure that pharmacists' moral objections don't block patients' access to needed medicine, including emergency contraceptives.

The action was prompted by complaints from several physicians' groups who say a growing number of pharmacists nationwide are refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives they consider a form of abortion.

"This is an issue of access to care for patients," Dr. Mary Frank, a Mill Valley, Calif., family physician told AMA delegates before Monday's vote. "It's affecting not just women," but also patients using psychiatric medication, painkillers and other drugs.

Under the policy adopted at the AMA's annual meeting, the nation's largest physicians' group will support legislation that requires pharmacists to fill valid prescriptions or to immediately refer patients to other pharmacies that will.

~snip~
more;http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/11942322.htm

Please read further down....
passed watered-down measure about mistreatment at Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and Iraq

[Pirate Smile]

1. I'm glad they are finally jumping in. This stuff is crazy.

[Initech]

13. I agree.

Shouldnt the doctor be the one making these kinds of decisions, not the pharmacists?

[LiberalFighter]

28. Absolutely should be the one prescribing the necessary medication

The pharmacist should ONLY determine if the medication would cause a problem with the patient's other medication(s).

[ailsagirl]

31. Sometimes it IS the doctors who refuse to prescribe medications

I posted this awhile back. Here's an excerpt of the article from Prevention magazine:

Melissa Kelley, 35, was just as stunned when her gynecologist told her she would not renew her prescription for birth control pills last fall. "She told me she couldn't in good faith prescribe the Pill anymore," says Kelley, who lives with her husband and son in Allentown, PA. Then the gynecologist told Kelley she wouldn't be able to get a new prescription from her family doctor, either. "She said my primary care physician was the one who helped her make the decision."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=121845

[BlueIris]

23. This plus other AMA moves this week make me think they've finally

pulled their heads out of their asses. Somewhat. When I see less in-your-face drug ads, I will feel more satisfied. Leave that shit between me and whoever passes for my doctor, Pfizer. Assholes.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Good!

I was waiting for the AMA's take on this. Sounds like they made the right move.

[Kraklen]

3. There was a fantastic article in the June 10th issue of Science.

I highly recommend reading it.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/308/5728/1557

[BlueEyedSon]

7. For registered users only 8^(

[Kraklen]

9. Yeah, I know, that sucks.

I wasn't going to post it, but I figured there might be a few DUers with access.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Considering doctors prescribe contraceptives for a variety of reasons..

.. I can see where the pharmacists are full of shit trying to evangelize their profession. Your job is to dispense medication. If you can't for religious reasons, then you had better be sure your customer can get what they need quickly and conveniently, otherwise find yourself another profession. I hear Dominos Pizza is always looking for drivers, and they are WAAAAY anti-choice. Sounds like a good fit to me.

[Mythsaje]

11. Dominos is anti-choice?

that would explain why they always put green peppers on our pizzas after being told specifically NOT to do so.

So many things become clear now.

[KaliTracy]

50. CEO is very involved in anti-choice (contributions, etc.) -- at least that

was the case in the late 80s.

[susanna]

52. LOL...

They're probably considered some sort of fertility vegetable. Watch out! ;-)

[Mythsaje]

54. It was a rather droll joke, wasn't it?

I'm glad someone got it.

[susanna]

55. Sure I did...

I live in Michigan - home of the owner of Domino's, and his holier-than-thou attitude regarding, well, just about everything.

I haven't bought a Domino's pizza in, oh, maybe 15 years. Once I figured it all out it was relatively easy (except I did love their bacon and onion pizza). Oh well. :-)

[Mythsaje]

57. Even after we discovered that they screwed up regularly on this order

we continued to order from them. My ex (as well as my current wife) couldn't eat green peppers due to allergies. So we'd order from them, they'd almost without fail put green peppers on the pizza, we'd call and raise hell, and they'd send another pizza (without green peppers) along shortly. We'd get two pizzas for the price of one...one for my ex, and one for the rest of us.

[susanna]

58. That's a great story...

I applaud them for their customer service, at least in this case! :-)

[Mythsaje]

59. For some reason

I'm good at picking women allergic to green peppers with a talent for raising hell when appropriate.

When my ex started getting tired of calling them, we'd have a friend do it...this guy would have made a great politician. Or lawyer.

Thankfully he's more likely to go into medicine. LOL

[progressivebydesign]

62. That was funny... I was trying to skirt the "pro-life" label. nt/

[nikraye]

32. Curves is also anti-choice

Curves owner is a big contributor to anti-choice campaigns. Ladies, if you are a Curves member, dump your membership, cut your losses, write a letter to Curves telling them why you're dumping them, and then go somewhere else to SPIN.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/apr/04043005.html

[progressivebydesign]

63. I believe that. I found one of their mags and it was gross! n/t

[progressivebydesign]

5. Considering doctors prescribe contraceptives for a variety of reasons..

.. I can see where the pharmacists are full of shit trying to evangelize their profession. Your job is to dispense medication. If you can't for religious reasons, then you had better be sure your customer can get what they need quickly and conveniently, otherwise find yourself another profession. I hear Dominos Pizza is always looking for drivers, and they are WAAAAY anti-choice. Sounds like a good fit to me.

[iconoclastic cat]

6. What other drugs (painkillers, etc.) are fundie pharmacists boycotting?

Does anyone have links on this? Cripes, this is scary.

[Kraklen]

14. It's birth control now...

I wouldn't be surprised that if they get their way, it will soon be HIV drugs.

[iconoclastic cat]

16. That would make sense.

I'm wondering about the painkillers and other misc. drugs.

[anitar1]

34. From now on I will ask about this when I go to a pharmacy,

If they refuse to fill these prescriptions, I will take my business elsewhere. Let them set up fundie drug stores for fundie people. Isolate the creeps. I see the bill was "watered down" by the Dr's . Also, The dr's refused to censure the physicians in Iraq who condoned the tortures. Well, they must all be the issue of God's loins to be so perfect. One said it was impossible that a Dr would do such things. He did not believe it. What utter hogwash.

[Megahurtz]

19. Maybe they should go for Viagra next?

:rofl:

[nikraye]

27. Never happen, not with Bob Dole as the poster child for Viagra

[Miss Chybil]

47. It's not just the fundies, it's the Scientologists, too. Here you go...

Tom just says no to prescription drugs
http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/celebrities/celebrities28.html

I know that's dated, but he's been on the talk show circuit quite a bit lately ranting about this stuff.

[flvegan]

8. I KNEW the doctors would get pissed.

The make the call after an evaluation, determining that a particular patient needs certain meds (including contraception, emergency or otherwise). For a pharmacist (no offense) to circumvent their written order to fill something is bound to make waves you could surf on.

[knitter4democracy]

38. My hubby's pretty pissed about it

So is everyone he works with. If the pharmacists start in on this, where is it going to go from here? The whole system, already shaky, will fall apart pretty quickly.

Who are they do decide which patients get which meds? They aren't doctors--they shouldn't act like them.

[Lars39]

10. And if we had a Surgeon General worth a damn...

:eyes:

[anitar1]

36. You mean we have a surgeon general?

Pete Peabrain from Christian, Texas?

[Lars39]

37. I had to go look!

Richard Carmona :shrug:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/

[knitter4democracy]

39. I miss Satcher.

He was really good.

[Lars39]

41. Yes! And Jocelyn Elders, too.

Shoot, I'd even settle for Koop.

[knitter4democracy]

42. Yeah!

She was really good. Heck, even as conservative as Koop was, I'm with you. He was a doctor first.

We always liked Satcher, in part because he went to Case, just like my hubby.

[Lars39]

44. I remember when it used to be a really big deal as to who was chosen

as SG. There's been so much other stuff to keep up with,
I don't even remember this guy being appointed. :(

[knitter4democracy]

46. I don't either.

Maybe it was during some other fight and got slipped in.

[davidinalameda]

12. never thought I'd say this

but thank goodness for the AMA

[lastliberalintexas]

15. Still not enough

"will support legislation that requires pharmacists to fill valid prescriptions or to immediately refer patients to other pharmacies that will."

Good start, I guess, but this does nothing to help women living in rural areas where there is only one pharmacy or poor women without access to other "nearby" pharmacies.

If a pharmacist refuses to fill a valid, legal prescription for something other than a safety reason (ie, the doctor who prescribed it didn't know the patient was also taking prescription X from another doc and those 2 scrips interact badly), then that pharmacist needs to find another line of work. Period.

[maddezmom]

24. further down in the article: seeking legislation

The AMA also agreed to seek legislation allowing doctors to dispense medication when there isn't a pharmacist within 30 miles willing or able to provide a prescription

[lastliberalintexas]

25. I didn't see that

Much better then. Though I still say the f'ers who refuse to do their freaking jobs should have their liceses yanked and end up as greeters at Walmart. :)

[maddezmom]

29. agree with you on that one

:hi:

[Beaverhausen]

33. 30 miles??? That's bullshit

A woman who was raped shouldn't have to run all over town to protect herself from getting pregnant by a rapist.

That's fucked up.

[maddezmom]

43. to folks that live in rural areas

30 miles is nothing...just saying. :)

[Beaverhausen]

45. What if the girl has no car and there is no public transportation?

How is she supposed to get 30 miles to the next pharmacy- walk?

[susanna]

53. Wow. That gave me a flashback, maddezmom.

Here in Michigan, once upon a time, my city boyfriend was visiting me in the sticks. We decided to go get a movie at the "local" video store (it's about 30 minutes away, but I thought nothing of it).

I started driving. And driving. And driving. He's really quiet in the passenger seat, then says, deadpan, "Where is this video store...in Canada?"

(This former boyfriend now lives in the sticks and I'm in the city. We switched places, literally. Life is strange...)

[msanthrope]

35. And there's the rub--this will allow the doctors to make extra money

at the expense of the anti-choice pharmacists...

No wonder the AMA wants this.

[knitter4democracy]

40. That goes against a lot of ethics and legislation

I'm sure there was major debate on it--maybe they're taking that stand to force the pharmacists' hand.

[LisaM]

60. Two miles is too far if you don't have a car

This is all utter hogwash.

By the way, Tom Monahan no longer owns Domino's. Now he run a crazy rghtwing Catholic law school called Ave Maria. They just shut him down in Ann Arbor for trying to build a giant crucifix.

[Carla in Ca]

49. Not good enough

"or to immediately refer patients to other pharmacies who will".

That is not good enough. Where did they come up with 30 miles? Perhaps that won't be good enough for someone. A complete stop to this 'pick and choose' by pharmacists must happen.
This all started in Illinois at an Albertson's market. There was a thread a few weeks ago.
I agree with you, fill it or get another job. Period.

[Megahurtz]

17. Yea AMA!!!

:bounce::applause::woohoo:

But I still believe that they should push legislation that REQUIRES the pharmacist to fill the prescription no matter what.

[fishnfla]

18. Broadcast a list of the pharmacies and the name of the corparations

involved. Stop sending all your prescriptions there.

End of problem

[greekspeak]

20. When does it stop?

What is next? They see me pull up in a vehicle with a bumper sticker they don't like and they won't fill the prescription? You have to sign a ShrubCo Loyalty Oath to get your drugs? They beleive that mentally ill people are posessed and will not fill their psychotropics? It will all change when Senator Random Joe Wingnut tries to get his perfect child a "day after" pill and get turned down.

[sundancekid]

21. show our medical colleagues some DU love and appreciation here:

American Medical Association
515 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60610
800-621-8335

Let them know how we feel about the decision to support legislation that requires pharmacists to fill valid prescriptions or to refer patients immediately to other pharmacies that will.

(sorry, no contact e-mail for nonmembers)

[nikraye]

22. In the words of Repugs, "It's a slippery slope..."

If pharmacists can refuse to fill birth control prescriptions on the grounds of moral objection, then the following refusals should also be permitted:

Grocery store cashiers who are Mormon/7th Day Adventists can refuse to check out your alcohol, soft drinks, tea or coffee...

Drug store clerks whose religious belief that premarital sex is a sin, can refuse to sell condoms without proof of marriage...

Restaurant servers who are fundamentalist christians can refuse to take orders for steamed clams, crab cakes, boiled lobster, shrimp scampi, calamari (squid), or oysters on the half shell because Leviticus 11:12 says, "Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you."

Fundamentalist christian sales clerks at Wal-Mart can refuse to sell the season's hottest summer dresses because they're made of (gasp!) polyester-cotton blend (Leviticus 19:19: Do not wear clothing made from two kinds of fiber.)

Now, if morally judgemental pharmacists can refuse to carry out the professional dictates of their STATE-granted license, then I suppose that I, based on moral objection, can refuse to pay taxes to a federal government which I know to be responsible for the unnecessary and continuing deaths of thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens. (The Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not kill.)

[grahamhgreen]

26. Could you say that on CNN?

And repeat it in all major media ten times a day for the next 6 months?

[nikraye]

30. With pleasure. Everyone, please feel free to disseminate freely

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

48. Uh. That subject line looked WRONG.

Jus' sayin'. :evilgrin:

[KTM]

64. Thou Shalt not Kill

Bingo, give that man (or woman) a prize !!!


GREAT post. :bounce:

[kittykitty]

51. Those pharmacists should have their licenses revoked!

[truthisfreedom]

56. amen. it'a about time.

[jmcon007]

61. Let's not sell gas/groceries to pharmacists who do not fill prescriptions

[Gelliebeans]

65. here is a bill that Boxer

has introduced. I read it and think it sounds pretty good.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-778

[tavalon]

66. About damn time! n/t