Here is a good post from The Opinion Mill on the proposal from Assemblyman Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) to allow New Jersey pharmacists the right to refuse to dispense Plan B contraceptives — “the morning-after pill” on moral or ethical grounds.
Supporters offer an interesting argument, though one that ultimately fails. They want us to believe that they are safeguarding the rights of pharmacists and other healthcare providers. It is, supporters say, similar to granting pacifists consciencious objector status.
Only it’s not. The decision to claim consciencious objector status does not deprive others of their rights; the decision by a pharmacist not to dispense a prescribed med, however, does. Imagine, as The Opinion Mill points out, if this were applied to other medications: “If a pharmacist knows one of his customers is a glutton, perhaps he should be able to deny him cholesterol-lowering medications,” thereby encouraging him to eat a healthier diet.
That’s absurd, of course, but it also is a logical extension of the argument made by those who support legislation like Assemblyman Kean’s.
Ultimately, this is not about health or protecting the delicate sensibilities of healthcare professionals. It is about imposing morality on others and has dangerous potential for society:
Kean’s proposal would undermine civil society by turning private medical decisions into an opportunity for moral grandstanding. A pharmacist’s license is not a license to play community moral arbiter, and if handling certain kinds of medicine offends him so badly, he should find another line of work.
South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
Hank Kalet 