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There are six US states where pharmacists can refuse service for moral reasons. (Reuters: Mohammad Khursheed)
A pharmacist in the United States refused to give a woman the medication she needed to terminate her pregnancy after her baby stopped growing, which prompted the Arizona Pharmacy Council to investigate.
Key points:
- Nicole Arteaga says she was denied an abortion drug to end her unsustainable pregnancy
- Walgreens is excused for the way he handled the issue
- We do not know how many women are affected by such laws in the United States
The woman, identified by the Arizona Republic newspaper as Nicole Arteaga, described in a Facebook post how she was publicly humiliated when she was attempting to fill the prescription to terminate her pregnancy – a pregnancy that was unhealthy. she wanted to, but that had to be interrupted because she would finally make a miscarriage.
She said that pharmacist Walgreens refused to fill the prescription with other clients within earshot, and she left the chemist in tears with her seven-year-old child by her side.
Ms. Arteaga, who calls Nicole Mone on Facebook, was able to fill her prescription at a different location later, and filed a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy.
Kam Gandhi, executive director of the board, said that the agency had not yet spoken to Ms. Arteaga nor to the pharmacist, but that she would aim to do a full investigation before the next council meeting in August.
"It's obviously a sensitive issue, and we need to approach it delicately," he said.
Arizona is one of six states in the United States that allow pharmacists to refuse to prescribe prescriptions for moral or religious reasons without requiring a referral or transfer of the prescription, according to the National Women & ### 39; s Law Center of the United States.
The law specifically mentions abortion drugs or emergency contraception, and says that health professionals like pharmacists must express their objection in writing.
Once the investigation is brought to the commission, she may decide to dismiss the complaint or take other measures, including a warning letter, civil penalties, voluntary surrender of license or prosecution d & # 39; studies.
On Monday, Walgreens tweeted responses to people outraged by Ms Arteaga's message.
Some clients said that they were taking their prescription business elsewhere.
Walgreens pushed several repeated answers. In one, the company said that she apologized to the patient about how the situation was being handled. He also stated that he was looking into the matter further, while another message was explaining the policies of the stores.
"Our policy allows pharmacists not to fill an order for which they have a moral objection," reads in the tweet.
"At the same time, they are also required to refer the prescription to another pharmacist or service manager to meet the needs of the patient in a timely manner."
The company said the pharmacist in question was the only one in service at the time, so he called another place to serve the patient.
Ms. Arteaga discovered that she was pregnant about two months ago and that she was being watched every week because of an earlier miscarriage.
Last week, Ms. Arteaga's doctor told her that her baby had stopped growing and that she was finally going to miscarry.
Her doctor gave her the prescription after choosing to take medication to terminate the pregnancy instead of a procedure.
"I understand that we all have our beliefs," she writes.
"But what he did not understand, is that it is not the situation I was hoping for, it's not something I wanted It's something that I have no control over.
"It has no idea what it is to want nothing more than to carry a child to term and be unable to do it."
AP
Topics:
women's health,
health,
religion and beliefs,
United States
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