Oregon Pharmacy Board Limits Pharmacist’s Conscience Clause 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 7, 2006
Salem, OR (LifeNews.com) — The Oregon Board of Pharmacy has adopted a new rule that limits the conscience rights of pharmacists to opt out of dispensing drugs like the morning after pill. Though pharmacists can still decline to fill a prescription, the new policy forces them to help customers obtain the drug in a timely manner.
That means a pharmacist who does not want to dispense the morning after pill because it can sometimes cause an abortion must still aide a customer in getting it.
The new rule requires pharmacists to refer customers to another pharmacist or pharmacy where they can obtain the drug quickly.
The Oregon Board of Pharmacy also adopted a provision prohibiting pharmacists from lobbying patients, such as telling a customer that there are moral or religious problems with using a drug like the Plan B pills.
Rebecca Green of Oregon NARAL, the statewide pro-abortion group, applauded the new rules and said they make it clear what women wanting the morning after pill can expect.
"We feel that there is a lot of good information that specifically states what needs to happen at pharmacies," Green told AP. "There are procedures in place and for citizens to file a complaint easily if the pharmacies do not comply."
Related web sites:
Oregon Board of Pharmacy – https://www.oregon.gov/Pharmacy/index.shtml
