As more and more states pass laws that allow pharmacists to opt not to fill women's birth control and emergency contraception prescriptions, Planned Parenthood is asking all the major pharmacy chains to make statements on whether they will guarantee their customer's access to needed medications.
CVS is the first nationwide chain to reply. Their letter, which you can read here, basically says that the company will work to ensure that every customer can access birth control and emergency contraception pills. While the company will allow individual pharmacists to opt out of prescribing these drugs, they must let the company know in advance so a workaround solution can be identified to guarantee timely access. Additionally, they're not allowed to share their ideological objections with customers.
I think it's a good compromise - I hope the other major pharmacy chains will follow suit. You can find out more about the Planned Parenthood fill my pills NOW campaign on their website.
Posted by sarah at May 28, 2005 9:12 AM