Almost a year ago, the Washington Post ran a front-page item on pharmacists who are refusing to fill prescriptions when medications violate their “personal moral or religious beliefs.” It caused a fuss, but the scope of the issue was not altogether clear. It was a solid article, but it was vague about how serious a problem this is nationwide. It talked about “some” pharmacists, but didn’t say how many. It mentioned a new “trend” in the culture war, but didn’t say how broad the trend is.
Apparently, it’s a trend that’s reached the big time.
More than a dozen states are considering new laws to protect health workers who do not want to provide care that conflicts with their personal beliefs, a surge of legislation that reflects the intensifying tension between asserting individual religious values and defending patients’ rights.
About half of the proposals would shield pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control and “morning-after” pills because they believe the drugs cause abortions. But many are far broader measures that would shelter a doctor, nurse, aide, technician or other employee who objects to any therapy. That might include in-vitro fertilization, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cells and perhaps even providing treatment to gays and lesbians.
Because many legislatures have just convened, advocates on both sides are predicting that the number debating such proposals will increase. At least 18 states are already considering 36 bills.
I just can’t figure out why this is even a legitimate controversy. Pharmacists, by virtue of their professional responsibilities, agree to fill prescriptions. Doctors prescribe a remedy, a patient seeks that remedy, a pharmacist provides the remedy. It’s a pretty simple system. If a pharmacist realizes that he or she may be called on to perform tasks with which they’re uncomfortable, this person has a choice: do the job or find a different job in which these moral quandaries won’t be an issue. In other words, if you don’t like filling prescriptions, don’t become a pharmacist.
The same is true throughout the health care field. John Cole summarized this nicely: “If your religious beliefs interfere with your job providing any and all desired or required care for a patient, you have several options — change your job, change your religion, suck it up and hope yours is a forgiving God.”
But that’s not what many legislatures and conservative activists have in mind. Some are even worried about “cyborgs.”
“This goes to the core of what it means to be an American,” said David Stevens, executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. “Conscience is the most sacred of all property. Doctors, dentists, nurses and other health care workers should not be forced to violate their consciences…. “We are moving into a brave new world of cloning, cyborgs, sex selection, genetic testing of embryos.”
Cyborgs? We need legislation in part because there’s a fear over cyborgs?
At least it’s encouraging to know we’ll be addressing these issues in a reasoned, intellectually-serious way.