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DENTON, Texas (AP) -- About 40 people gathered outside an Eckerd pharmacy Monday, protesting what they said was a decision to deny a rape victim a prescription for the morning-after pill.

A spokesman for the Florida-based company confirmed that Eckerd has taken disciplinary action in response to an incident at the store.

"Apparently there was a request for a prescription to be filled and the prescription was denied based on a moral or ethical decision made by the pharmacist, and that's not in accordance with our corporate policy," said Joan Gallagher, vice president of communications for Largo, Florida-based Eckerd Corp.

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And even if that pharmacist had the right to turn the woman down for whatever personal reasons, professionally they should have at least referred her to another pharmacist who didn't have an ethical conflict.

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The Emergency room at the hospital?

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why not just go to planned parenthood, naral/caral, or some other similar agency? there's usually one or more in each major centre and they have them for free.

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why not just go to planned parenthood, naral/caral, or some other similar agency?

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If your tax dollars are already funding a public hospital, why should you have to? I agree with Michelle: yank their funding, effective immediately. If they want to make moral choices a prerequisite for medical care, then they should foot their own freight. Cease any and all transfer payments and watch them wither. Then open up a new public hospital as soon as they've slunk off.

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Except, I don't even want them to try to make it on their own because I don't believe in two-tier health care and privately-funded hospitals.

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I dunno. I have to think that with zero government help, they'd flounder in a hurry. I'm sure some funding would be found, but not nearly enough... and I doubt that some Catholic parent is willing to pay $1500 out of pocket to have their kid's sprained ankle looked at just so they can force women to carry pregnancies to term.

And if they did pay up, and if the hospital did survive, what do I care? As long as we save the cost of that hospital we can apply it to a new hospital, or better fund existing hospitals. It takes nothing from me.

Even when the catholic school were Not funded by the gov't, their diplomas were recognized by the gov't. Even non funded jewish, muslim and protestant schools have their diplomas recognized by the government.

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staff it with people who are willing to offer a full range of services.

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Originally posted by Trinitty:
I wouldn't go so far as to bar people from working at the hospital who disagree with abortion or other "medical" procedures. As long as there were enough staff to meet the demand for the procedures that would suffice.

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Not everyone who is against abortion is against choice. Religion often has nothing to do with it, though I agree with Michelle that the church needs to keep it's big nosy parker out of people's private lives and personal decisions.

I have a big ethical problem with terminating a potential human being, but a potential pregnancy? Every time a sexually active, reproductively viable woman ovulates, it's a potential pregnancy. To want to exert that kind of control over a woman's body is like demanding the right to repeatedly rape her.

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I wouldn't go so far as to bar people from working at the hospital who disagree with abortion or other "medical" procedures. As long as there were enough staff to meet the demand for the procedures that would suffice.

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It would be difficult to ensure that all the employees in the whole hospital weren't anti-choice/anti-abortion, granted. I do think, though, that if a doctor has an ideological opposition to performing certain necessary procedures, they should look for a line of work or a practice that doesn't call upon them to even have to contemplate it. I think it's unethical for any gynecologist or obstetrician to do some parts of their job but not all. Respect for the patient's needs and choices should be fundamental and if it's not possible for a doctor to maintain enough respect for their patients to honour their request for an abortion, they should be working in podiatry or something. It's like a dentist not wanting to pull teeth...

I know it's not that simple, but I think it's extremely stupid for someone to work in a profession with a scope beyond their own ideological boundaries. They must know at the outset of their specialized study that they'll be required to perform abortions, and if they're not prepared to deal with that appropriately when the time comes, they should come up with a different specialization.

I guess the same goes for pharmacists who don't believe in contraception, emergency or otherwise.

That's what I think, anyways.

[ 05 February 2004: Message edited by: Lima Bean ]

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Originally posted by lagatta:
That is why I was most taken aback at the tone of your previous post, after all your posts on why we mustn't call Belinda a rich bitch.

All of that "potential human life" stuff is just a way of keeping women locked in medieval oppression, denied the right to control their own fertility and their own wombs.

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[ 05 February 2004: Message edited by: Rebecca West ]

As far as other medical staff go, it's tricky. A friend of mine was recently referred by her doctor to the hospital for an abortion. A week went by and the hospital never called. So I pressured her to call back. The receptionist (who squealed "YAY! A BABY!" when she saw my friend's positive test for pregnancy) snapped that she'd faxed it, but she'd fax it again. 4 days go by, no call. So I made my friend call again, and the other receptionist said "The form is right here. It's not even all the way filled in yet. There is no way it was sent."

Enraging.

[ 05 February 2004: Message edited by: audra estrones ]

I want to punch her.

[ 05 February 2004: Message edited by: Lima Bean ]

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Based on what?

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Audra's friend is probably under enough stress, given the circumstances, and can't cope with more. Totally understandable. And totally her choice not to complain formally. I think it's great that she has friends to support her through a rough process like this.

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Originally posted by JesseHoffman:
Hmm well something really should be done, that receptionist should NOT be able to get away with that. Maybe you should consider issuing a complaint yourself?

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