Supreme Court Decision an “Ominous Sign” That Could Force Doctors to Do Abortions

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 29, 2016   |   11:30AM   |   Washington, DC

While most pro-life people and media attention are focused on Monday’s Supreme Court decision overturning part of a pro-life Texas law that has saved thousands of babies from abortion, a second Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday is not getting as much attention. But it could have more far-reaching effects nationwide.

The nation’s highest court refused to hear an appeal from pro-life pharmacists in Washington state who are challenging a state law forcing them to sell the morning after pull and abortion-causing drugs that violate their conscience as Christians instead of allowing them to refer customers to nearby pharmacies.

A pro-life family that runs pharmacies in Washington State has been at the center of an epic battle over religious rights for years. In 2007, abortion activists convinced the Washington Board of Pharmacy to pass regulations that force pharmacists in the state to dispense abortion causing drugs. This caused a major dilemma for the Stormans family, owners of a third-generation pharmacy. Their religious convictions prevented them from selling drugs that destroy innocent human life. Yet the State insisted they do so.

Not only does the decision adversely affect pharmacists in Washington state, it could affect doctors nationwide — or any medical worker for that matter.

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As Justice Alito said in the dissenting opinion:

“This case is an ominous sign. At issue are Washington State regulations that are likely to make a pharmacist unemployable if he or she objects on religious grounds to dispensing certain prescription medications. There are strong reasons to doubt whether the regulations were adopted for—or that they actually serve—any legitimate purpose. And there is much evidence that the impetus for the adoption of the regulations was hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the State.”

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologistsinformed LifeNews.com that it is greatly concerned about the extent to which the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeal will hurt the conscience rights of doctors and medical workers across the country. It said the high court “gave the green light to States who want to force health care workers to kill human beings.”

“This decision in the Stormans v. Weisman case by the Supreme Court was clearly a political win for those in the current Administration who seek to wipe out Conscientious Objection to participation in the killing of human beings,” AAPLOG said. “This Court has set the stage for unfettered State coercion;   a coercion that extends even to forcing American citizens to have to participate in the killing of other human beings.   This decision will go down in history next to  Dred Scott as a decision shaming the United States and violating the foundations of this nation.”

“All health care workers should be concerned about the implications of this decision.   Not since Nazi Germany has there been such a frontal assault on health care workers who refuse to kill at the behest of the government.  It is time for Hippocratic Professionals to resist such state coercion,” the group continued.

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