Holistic Wisdom Corporation

Illinois Refusing Women Birth Control

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) had to issue an emergency rule last week that requires pharmacies to accept and fill prescriptions for contraceptives without delay, after a growing number of complaints nationwide that some pharmacists are refusing to dispense birth control pills and the "morning-after" pill.

He also established a toll-free number that residents can call to report refusals by pharmacies. Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich said pharmacists' refusal to fill prescriptions for contraceptives is not just a statewide problem.

It came in response to complaints that on Feb. 23, 2005 a pharmacist refused to fill prescriptions for two women at an Osco pharmacy in downtown Chicago. The governor joined reproductive rights groups in describing the refusals as part of a concerted push by conservative groups to decrease availability of contraceptives. "It's not just in the Loop; this is happening all over the country," he said. "There's a pattern of this behavior.

This is not just a coincidence, but part and parcel of a larger campaign." Women in at least 12 states, including Wisconsin, Texas, North Carolina and California, have reported encountering pharmacists unwilling to fill their prescriptions. "We've heard stories about them being turned away or referred to other pharmacies," said Karen Pearl, national president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "And even more alarmingly, some women are being denied birth control and the pharmacist keeps their prescription.

They are also being given moral lectures, religious lectures. Women are being told contraception is abortion, which it is not." Fernando E. Grillo, director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, said the new rule "clarifies a duty we believe has always existed."

There are no federal laws forcing pharmacies to fill all prescriptions. At least 11 states are considering legislation that would allow pharmacists to deny prescriptions, and legislation has been proposed in California, Missouri and New Jersey that would protect a customer's ability to have prescriptions filled.

North Carolina's pharmacist licensing board recently clarified its policy to prevent pharmacists from obstructing customers from getting prescriptions. "There's a lot of pending action on all sides," said Judy Waxman, vice president of health and reproductive rights at the National Women's Law Center.