Pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills and emergency contraceptives
Jillian McKnight ; U-WIRE (DC BUREAU)
Issue date: 4/13/05 Section: News
University of Wisconsin recently made headlines again. State representative Daniel LeMahieu proposed legislation in mid-March that would ban the distribution of emergency contraception on campus. His bill is currently circulating looking for a co-sponsor. Wisconsin's one of the 11 states where there's pending legislation allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill contraceptive and morning after prescriptions.
"This isn't solely derived from morality," said LeMahieu's Chief of Staff Jeffrey Gothman. "This goes higher than a morality question. This deals with a woman's health."
While LeMahieu's chief of staff admits that the representative views the morning after pill as a form of abortion, he says that for LeMahieu the issue's not based on his morals, but rather on the unknown future impact the morning after pill may have.
"There is no warning as to the future impact on a woman's health," said Gothman. "They're arbitrarily handing out high dosages of hormones."
The bill would prohibit students from accessing the morning after pill through the University of Wisconsin's health system. It would not inhibit access to normal birth control pills. LeMahieu, a pro-life delegate and co-sponsor of the Pharmacy Conscience Clause Bill, which would give pharmacists the right of refusal to fill contraceptive and morning after prescriptions based on moral or religious beliefs
"University health systems are pushing the lets too far by advertising in a simplistic way that the morning after pill will take care of all these problems," said Gothman.
"There are issues like date rape where access to emergency contraception because extremely important," said Vogelstein.
The morning-after pill must be administered within 72 hours for effectiveness. Maximum effectiveness occurs in the first 24 hours. Students are often in need of emergency contraception during the weekends or late at night.
"I don't thin its right for them to tell me what medication can and cannot get," said GW senor Jamie Panzarella. "It maybe hard for some girls to find another pharmacy or take off from class to drive somewhere."
"This isn't solely derived from morality," said LeMahieu's Chief of Staff Jeffrey Gothman. "This goes higher than a morality question. This deals with a woman's health."
While LeMahieu's chief of staff admits that the representative views the morning after pill as a form of abortion, he says that for LeMahieu the issue's not based on his morals, but rather on the unknown future impact the morning after pill may have.
"There is no warning as to the future impact on a woman's health," said Gothman. "They're arbitrarily handing out high dosages of hormones."
The bill would prohibit students from accessing the morning after pill through the University of Wisconsin's health system. It would not inhibit access to normal birth control pills. LeMahieu, a pro-life delegate and co-sponsor of the Pharmacy Conscience Clause Bill, which would give pharmacists the right of refusal to fill contraceptive and morning after prescriptions based on moral or religious beliefs
"University health systems are pushing the lets too far by advertising in a simplistic way that the morning after pill will take care of all these problems," said Gothman.
"There are issues like date rape where access to emergency contraception because extremely important," said Vogelstein.
The morning-after pill must be administered within 72 hours for effectiveness. Maximum effectiveness occurs in the first 24 hours. Students are often in need of emergency contraception during the weekends or late at night.
"I don't thin its right for them to tell me what medication can and cannot get," said GW senor Jamie Panzarella. "It maybe hard for some girls to find another pharmacy or take off from class to drive somewhere."