CVS Pharmacy has similar policy to Walgreens, allows pharmacists to deny birth control prescriptions

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

CVS Pharmacy has a similar policy to beleaguered competitor Walgreens, which allows pharmacists to deny prescriptions that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, such as birth control or condoms.

Walgreens came under fire last week when customers documented their issues filling prescriptions for birth control or buying products for other reproductive choices like condoms.

Those examples went viral on social media under the hashtag #BoycottWalgreens.

CVS is the nation's largest pharmacy service by market share according to consumer data provider Statista, eclipsing Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart and over a dozen other brands. CVS has a market capitalization of $124.86 billion.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/cvs-pharmacy-has-similar-policy-to-walgreens-allows-pharmacists-to-deny-birth-control-prescriptions/ar-AAZZYsz

[Samrob]

1. Forced to use Walmart or SAMs? Or maybe mail order. nt

[Habitation]

2. Slightly better than Walgreens since they are required to

ensure the customer is handled by someone else.

But only slightly.

[onecaliberal]

3. I am required to use this POS pharmacy. They're even taking the power of our purse away.

[msongs]

4. sue them on religious grounds. karma's a .... nt

[In It to Win It]

5. Why? Why on Earth would you let an employee make a such a decision on company time?

[Zeitghost]

6. To avoid costly lawsuits

I would bet the courts would find that requiring a manager or another employee to finish the transaction is a reasonable accommodation of religious belief and if they didn't, it could be an expensive win.

[In It to Win It]

7. So they're scared to judicial activism

I cannot see in any legal sense how an employee inserting their own personal religious views as an employee is a reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs.

[hardluck]

8. No, not judicial activism

Title VII of the civil rights act. Essentially if the employee hold a sincere religious belief the employer must provide a reasonable accommodation unless it results in an undue burden to the employer.

[In It to Win It]

9. I don't think

an employee at a pharmacy refusing to dispense drugs falls under that. I think it would be judicial activism if a judge buys that argument. I would think an employee refusing to do the thing that the business exists for is not a religious accommodation. I think that would be an undue burden for the employer.

A pharmacy that is in the business of dispensing drugs has a pharmacist that refuses to dispense a drug that the pharmacy sells.

I would see it differently if a pharmacy refuses to sell contraception on religious grounds.They don't purchase it or stock it, and therefore don't sell it. If the pharmacy spends the money to stock and carry contraception, and an employee is refusing to sell it... is a different story.

[hardluck]

10. There's plenty of case law on this

It is a reasonable accommodation to have another employee finish the transaction. There is no undue burden to the employer under that scenario at a large chain such as CVS. Now, if this was a mom and pop pharmacy an it was the only pharmacist on duty then we can get to whether it is an undue burden. Even then you have to go through the interactive process to determine whether a reason accommodation could be made. Failure to go through the process can lead to a lawsuit.

[In It to Win It]

11. Yeah I was thinking about that as I was writing the previous post

of having another employee complete the transaction would be considered a reasonable accommodation.

[LuckyLib]

12. If they want to play that game, then the employee should have to tell

the customer, "It's against my religious beliefs to sell this product. I'll find someone else who can help you."

The five people waiting in line will be mightily pissed. "So dude, get into another line of work!"

[Captain Zero]

13. what about a website project? Just boycott the assholes until their site closes.

Build a website where customers could report where they were easily able to obtain their prescriptions, and also report where there was an asshole pharmacist.

Then people could save gas not driving to the asshole pharmacists, and others/all of us could boycott the asshole locations so that CVS and Walgreens would have to shut them down, thus laying off the asshole pharms.

We could also include the NAMES of the asshole pharms so we could track just where they are employed next, and boycott the locations early and often. Nothing personal, just peacefully boycott the hell out of their latest shithole employment locations so they would become unemployed. I'm just the idea guy I can't build the website. Since people obviously don't matter anymore. Let our dollars talk to CVS and Walgreens