Pharmacist Refuses to Dispense BC Pills-Religion

[luaneryder]

Link: www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040729-148612.shtml


A Fabens (TX) pharmacy owner is one of hundreds of pharmacists worldwide who are refusing to dispense medically prescribed birth control pills for religious or ethical reasons.

"Since this was in the news, I've gotten calls from people who are upset with me and others who see no problem with it," said pharmacist Steve Mosher, who owns the Medicine Shoppe in Fabens. "Some people are even blaming me for teen pregnancies in Fabens."

Mosher, a Christian, said he dispensed birth control pills until last fall, when he listened to a medical expert on a radio program who described "the pill" as an abortifacient -- a drug that destroys a fertilized egg's ability to survive in the womb.

"I had waffled over this for years, but I've since stopped dispensing them," he said. "It was also a financial issue, and I've lost a lot of business because of my conviction. I fill some prescriptions for the pill, as long as it is used for menopause or other medical reasons besides birth control. I don't carry the 'morning-after' pill or anything like that."