Posted on 02/12/2004 5:27:23 AM PST by truthandlife
Eckerd Corp. has fired three pharmacists who declined to fill an emergency contraception prescription for a woman who had been raped, one of the pharmacists said Wednesday.
Gene Herr, 33, of Denton said he and two co-workers were fired on Jan. 29, six days after refusing to fill the prescription.
Eckerd has declined to comment on their employment status. Joan Gallagher, the vice president of communications for Largo, Fla.-based Eckerd only would say the company had taken the appropriate disciplinary action.
Herr said he declined to fill the prescription for the so-called "morning-after pill" because he believes it could have killed the embryo if the woman already had conceived. Though he had declined five or six times in the past to fill such prescriptions, it was the first time he had been handed one for a rape victim, he said.
"I went in the back room and briefly prayed about it," said Herr, who had worked for Eckerd for five years. "I actually called my pastor at Denton Bible Church and asked him what he thought about it."
The two other pharmacists who were present at the time also declined to fill the prescription. Herr would not name them.
The rape victim had the prescription filled at a nearby pharmacy.
Gallagher said Eckerd's employment manual says pharmacists are not allowed to opt out of filling a prescription for religious, moral or ethical reasons.
Herr said he did not know about that policy until his supervisors questioned him about it shortly before he was fired.
"In my mind if I agree to work for someone knowing that that's their policy, then I should submit to that policy. But I didn't even know about it," he said.
He declined to discuss his future plans.
Morning-after pills are higher doses of the hormones in regular birth control pills and have been sold under the brand names Plan B and Preven since 1998.
Taken within 72 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse, the pills are at least 75 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. They work by preventing ovulation or fertilization of an egg. If fertilization already has occurred, they prevent the egg from implanting into the uterus -- the medical definition of pregnancy.
Herr said he's disappointed but not angry or bitter.
"I'm a Christian. I feel like God gave me an opportunity to, I guess, make a stand for what is right," Herr said. "He's gonna take care of me either way."
What a moron. He doesn't even know the terms of his employment. This is typical behavior of those that would impose their belief system on others. Just like democrats.
Good for Eckerds!
Not only that, but it's physically impossible for the morning after pill to "kill an embryo." Also, there's nothing in the article about the guy refusing to dispense birth control, and the morning-after pill works IDENTICALLY to the birth control pill Virtually ALL of the time the morning-after pill/birth control-pill will simply prevent ovulation, and on very rare occasions it will prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. A fertilized egg that hasn't implanted isn't an "embryo" and you aren't "pregnant" till a fertilzed egg has implanted.
He wasn't fired then. Why now? Because the woman was raped? And how was he to know that -- was it on the prescription?
If in fact this woman had been raped, why was she not handled by one of those rape counselors in the hospital? Those people are trained to assist a rape victim thru all the horrors and work with the local district attorney and police to make the system work. I would think that along with collecting samples of pubic hair and DNA, that a morning after pill would be standard offerings. I mean why would they send her to Eckerds?
Something is not right here? Nothing about the criminal? Who was he? have they identified him? Arrested him?
Know any democrats who'd give up their livlihood because of a personal conviction?
...
I didn't think so.
Remember, this is an AP story. Been known to stretch the truth more than a few times when it is beneficial to their story.
I tend to think the muslim would not go peacefully. In the the current PC climate, rednecks/christians are fair game.
In the the current PC climate, rednecks/christians are fair game.You're definitely right about that. Especially with regard to the push to get religion (ie Christianity) removed from the public square.
Actually, the point is there IS no "moral dilemma." The problem with the pharmacist is that he's an idiot who has bought the propaganda of idiots. And it's especially frightening that a pharmacist would be so medically uneducated. The morning-after pill doesn't cause an abortion, and it can't kill an embryo.
Imagine if a Muslim supermarket worker was fired after he was transfered from cashier to the deli department, and he sues because he doesn't want to touch the ham & sausage. I believe he'd be rich.
Imagine if a Muslim supermarket worker was fired after he was transfered from cashier to the deli department, and he sues because he doesn't want to touch the ham & sausage. I believe he'd be rich.Imagine a Muslim who gets fired for groping a female and then sues. Don't laugh. It happened in Belgium. A rapist got off because of "cultural diversity".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.