Pharmacies and Birth Control

[Yaoi Girl]

I've seen an increase in articles related to pharmacies refusing to sell birth control pills because of their religious standing. This is causing legislators to either support the woman's right to protect herself from unwanted pregnancies or support the pharmacies choice. Several states have already made it so it's up to the pharmacy on whether or not they are going to carry contraceptives.


As for my opinion, I think it's up to the woman as to whether or not she wants these things. It's not up to some total stranger to lecture her on what's "right" and "wrong". I mean, I've yet to have this problem but all I can think is "heck, it's my womb. It's up to me.". What with over population, teen pregnancies, and the like they should be pushing the use of it. But, hey, that's just me. What do I know?

Do you think that it's wrong for pharmacies to sit there and lecture women on their morals? And is it wrong for them to deny women their rights to a morning after pill because it is seen as a "chemical abortion"? Or is good they are doing this?

Thoughts? Religious standings? Rants?

[godsrighthand]

In my view it is a legal needed medication and Pharmacies have no right to be open to the public and refuse valid Dr prescriptions.

Some woman will not survive childbirth.

Lots of the really young girls getting pregnant do not have a realistic chance on coming to full term realisticaly. But they can -die- due to complications of trying to carry a child to term and give birth when they are 12 or older.

This may only represent a small fraction of the population. But out of a population of 200 million. The amount of kids making poor choices or "mistakes" adds up.

[Yaoi Girl]

godsrighthand said:

But they can -die- due to complications of trying to carry a child to term and give birth when they are 12 or older.

Exactly. This is actually why I think most girls need to actually have it more readily available to them. While it's easier to tell them "You shouldn't have sex until your old enough to take responsibility." we all know that in reality, they won't listen. So it's better to let them have birth control than tell them not to do something we all they will do anyways and pay for all mistakes.

Now, I'm 15 and in my high school I hear a lot of so-and-so is pregnant or what's-her-face thought she was. And I've been told not have sex until I'm older but I do it anyways, unlike most my age though I actually take as many safety precautions as I can and I wish more girls and boys did the same. Making it more difficult to get a hold of birth control and morning after pills make the dangers and risks even higher and so more and more teens will get pregnant many will die from it.

[animascura]

While it's easier to tell them "You shouldn't have sex until your old enough to take responsibility." we all know that in reality, they won't listen.

and now here i come to attack the american Media

Okay, the reason, i believe, that little girls and boys wont listen is because the adult society to which they look up to is being very hypocritical (SP?). yes, we are all told during Sex Ed in middle school and high school that "You should not have sex." Immediately aftwerwards that statement is accompanied by, "but in case you do...here are some condoms, enjoy." What goes on through the mind of a child? An adult gave me a condom...said it was wrong, but gave me a condom....so it must not be too bad.

The media is making sex particularly attractive and then selling everything to our underaged audience. The media is something that represents the community and their beliefs. If fox can do it, i can do it too.

As to the topic at hand, i do believe in Pro Choice. I dont believe that pharmacies should take a moral stance and refuse to sell birth control and contraceptive pills. Pharmacies are institutions that should be devoted to prolonging human life and ensuring its proper care. Unfortunately we have come to a point where "the times" call less upon moral standings, and we shouldnt have a man in a pharmacy lecturing. Surely a woman must know what her beliefs are, and if she choses to have sex for whatever reason i don't think that anyone is in a position to make any judgements. The moral belief in question here is "protecting a human life" not "having sex out of marriage," or in marriage for that matter. if the pharmaceutical complanies really cared about morals they would sell birth controll, to save the life of the woman...or to spare the life of a child that otherwise may or may not grow up in misery.

On another note...States should not interfere and tell pharmaceutical companies what they have to sell. They can, of course, ban illegal drugs from being sold, or drugs that they feel pose a risk to a high population of the general public. But they cannot force a company to sell something just because of the reasons i mentionted earlier. If i presented my above argument to anyone it would be to stores so that they would change their mind, not to legislation so that they could change minds for others.

/end rant.

[Pimpmaster McSlap-Bitch]

Indeed.

Banning contraceptives from whole states isn`t a smart idea. Popular culture and mass media won`t put the brakes on its current influential trends in any specific area such as a state. Young sex is commonplace now - even if there was a banning of the influential media in a state without contraceptives, people would still fuck (maybe not as much), but there`d just be even more teen pregnancies. I couldn`t see the people changing the pop culture so dramatically.

And religion is so 1800`s ;D Old fashioned and unpopular with the scientific man. Nobody listens or cares because religion has been proved inaccurate to our 'infallable' and currently popular sciences . What the stores are doing though is forcing a belief (in a value) onto others who don`t believe. That`s pants. Sounds like a crusade quelled by formal and popular law.

Maybe the construction of a system of more efficient means of living - such as having information immediately at hand with the media that reports the extreme cases, plies ones perception of what is normal and what isn`t, what`s good and bad - is also having the adverse effect of making everybody ... stupid. Well, maybe... less reflective? *shrugs* People just can`t think like they used to. No graceful thoughts. *shrugs again, mumbles to himself...*

Anyway, my 2 cents.

[Ancient Goddess]

pimpmaster said:

And religion is so 1800`s ;D Old fashioned and unpopular with the scientific man. Nobody listens or cares because religion has been proved inaccurate to our 'infallable' and currently popular sciences . What the stores are doing though is forcing a belief (in a value) onto others who don`t believe. That`s pants. Sounds like a crusade quelled by formal and popular law.

Exactly the point I was going to make. Religion is a personal choice...You, yourself individually choose what path your life will take (ultimately) and what you choose to believe in. The fact of the matter is, everyone does not have the same religion and sets of morals. Whereas one person may see birth control pills to be a 'chemical abortion', someone else may see it as a safety method against unwanted outcomes.

However...I can't say putting the decision on pharmacies as to whether or not they will sell them in their stores is entirely wrong. Many store owners may have different morals seperated than the majority of the population as a whole. If they, themselves think that selling these items is wrong against their own religion, then it's really up to them whether they desire to place the medication on their shelves or not...but that's not to say that women who want them cannot find them elsewhere in a store that isn't run by high religious morals and whatnot.

Don't get me wrong, though...I'm all for contraceptives. But I guess I can see both sides of the argument and agree with both of them somewhat.

[godsrighthand]

I don't see it that way at all. There are requirements we all have to abide by. THE DAY AFTER PILL IS JUST THAT THE DAY AFTER. This way to important to let individuals people say I don't want to do business with you because of my belief. Who is giving birth to this kid again,?THE PHARMACIST? Is he raising and paying for all these babies? BULLSHIT in my book they are responsible to serve -all- the public or shut the f*ck down.

They are not my priest, my family counselor, or my Dr. They have zero rights interfering one way or the -other- on my reproduction choices.

And yes by denying time sensitive birth control to people who have to take the bus it is exactly that. Or those living in rural areas who have to farther out of their way. You cant take off work and say I have to get a day after pill more than once, Also it's not your employers business to know about someones sex life anyway.

What the pharmacist position realy breaks down to is " Oh no my -personal- religious beliefs will cost you 250,000 and 21 years to raise a child to adulthood. Give me a fucking break!
/rant/rant/rant.

[Ancient Goddess]

I hear what you're saying, righty...but in reality...it's up to the people who run the businesses. Some store owners place a higher value on morals than money...and that was the point I was trying to make in my second paragraph. It's like a strong christian store owner of a place that sells reading materials and magazines...I don't think that they'd want to sell any pornographic materials in their store because they are on a strong religious path. Same thing with a strong-moraled store owner of a phamacy. They own the store, and therefore, they get to decide what and what isn't placed on their shelves for purchase. Yes..it may be inconvient for the women who live near by and wish to purchase birth control pills...but what the store sells doesn't always have to be about what the people want...it's really up to the store manager and owner to decide.

Now, I don't think it's right for them to preach about what is right and what is wrong to the women who ask if they carry the contraceptives....that'd be ignorant of them to do so. But whether or not they decide to sell them to the people or not is entirely up to them.

[godsrighthand]

It is not the same at all AnG. They -are- professionals if they cannot act like it in a unbiased manner they should have their license yanked for the good of the public. Yes its not a abortion clinic sit down, however it is the same in intent. I find it obscene to hide behind these legalities.

What you are saying -in reality- is that it's legal for a stranger to sentence you to 21 years hard labor and to use -todays- figures a 1,000,000,000.00 dollar fine because they deeply dislike abortion because it's against my Christian beliefs.

So the government can't fine you a million dollars -and- 21yers of hard labor if you commit 1 st degree murder. (Unless your rich to begin with). DUN DUN DUN but your local pharmacist personally can do that to you at his whim/belief.
I am truly sorry for peoples morals who think that -this- is acceptable.

The Longs Drugs Store in -my- town says that the stores are individually owned and they reserve the right to refuse it to anyone for any reason or no reason at all. That is -thier- right and they will -fight- to keep it, even to stop doing business with certain suppliers. Meaning they will buy stock from someone else if they have to have quota amounts of that medicine included.
(In other words I don't carry that one type or class of medication anyway so sorry.)

I have seen them grille a woman with their pharmacist's rights to withhold this medicine unless the police are immediately called because it was a forced rape. (They also tell you up front they will be calling the police to make sure it has been reported!
They state as rare as it is in our area nationally that is what this drug is -properly used for. They are under no obligation to fill it otherwise.

What the fuck kind of human being puts so much morally induced harassment on a person when the poor woman obviously is already dealing with quite enough in her life as it is?

They own the store, and therefore, they get to decide what and what isn't placed on their shelves for purchase. Yes..it may be inconvient for the women who live near by and wish to purchase birth control pills...but what the store sells doesn't always have to be about what the people want...it's really up to the store manager and owner to decide.

Anyone, all private and public, all businesses period meet minimum industry standards to be -safe- for the public. This insures that the business has the right quality of experienced personal and adequate facilities and safety practices to safely run that type of business in public. That is the reason why everyone doing business must meet these obligations.

It is against the intent of the laws pertaining to running a business in public. It is a loophole that has not been closed yet because people did not stop to think how cold blooded and ruthless religious people really are. When given too much freedom they act insane even when they really know better in -any- country.

[Yaoi Girl]

It is a loophole that has not been closed yet because people did not stop to think how cold blooded and ruthless religious people really are. When given too much freedom they act insane even when they really know better in -any- country.

That's what I think too. Some religious groups are just cruel. I had to just up and leave my church because they kept arguing with one of my cousins and then kicked her out of the church because she went somewhere and got an abortion because some complications would have made her die during the child birth and she explained this to them. They kept giving there whole "Oh, God will save you if he sees you fit for living." thing. Yeah, that's crap.

The government really is giving too much leeway for religious groups and the separation of church and state has never even existed, it's all a lie. But that's my opinion.

[Sephiroth Kaizen]

Okay, I'm not going to repeat what anyone else says, but going from what I believe is the medical standing for birth control. It's all been said before on a woman's decision to use contraceptives for sexual reasons, but for health reasons, contraceptives have their good points.

I've never heard of a store refusing to sell contraceptives, BUT I wouldn't deny it happens. I wouldn't be surprised they did. Some women /need/ birth control because of medical reasons. For example, I have a friend from my old university who had cysts that basically continually formed in her uterus and ovaries. If it weren't for the contraceptives she was on, she wouldn't be able to even predict her next menstrual cycle, let alone a slew of other issues.
I was on birth control in order to control the occurence and reoccurence of my ovarian cysts. And before anyone wonders how the hell birth control regulates the formation of cysts, it's basically like this:
Sometimes cysts are like hardened "growth" filled with fluid... it can include blood or tissue (and most likely something else, but whatever). If you have an ovarian cyst, most likely, it's blood that has collected inside the growth and the blood that would normally be erm... involved in your menstrual cycle collects inside the cyst (and it grows). But if a woman uses contraceptives, the hormones that are regulated force a regular menstrual cycle and reduces the possibilities of a cyst forming (or if it does form, it's not too big and just simply absorbs and goes away).
Other women just need a contraceptive so they can have a regular menstrual cycle otherwise they wouldn't be able to predict shit.

Now, off of the medical part:
I'm mixed on my opinions for contraceptives. In one way, it's giving irresponsible kids a reason to not give a damn about their actions. On the other hand, people who do understand the consequences of their actions recognize the importance of extra precautions... It depends on the person and the way they were raised, in my humble opinion.

As for the government and religious establishments... well... I'm pretty sure most of those pharmacies are run by devout Catholics... and we all know how Catholics are when it comes to contraceptives. But then again, do the establishments who refuse to sell birth control pills also refuse to sell condoms as well? (This last sentence is more of a question to be clarified because I've never run across a store that said they wouldn't accept birth control Rx's.) They could be privately owned stores... I don't know if this makes a difference or not.

BTW, Drago, you're so right about "Don't have sex! But in case you do, here!" Our high school didn't pass out condoms, but they did have a "health" class... did they, AnG? o.O