Profession Of Pharmacy Under Siege by Dr. Kurt Grady

There is a battle raging in the state of Illinois regarding the dispensing of medicines designed to induce abortions. Many pharmacists object to filling these prescriptions on moral and ethical grounds. Many see this as an infringement upon the doctor - patient relationship. However, Dr. Kurt Grady of the Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International offers an alternative view. His article first appeared in the Official Journal of Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International in the fall of 2005. He is one of the few that have spoken out in defense of pharmacists, and some in the pro-life movement consider this too hot to handle. However, I interviewed Dr. Grady regarding this issue and have included his thoughts in this article. Now, Dr. Grady:

"We are indeed all familiar with the battle that has been raging in our profession regarding pharmacists refusing to dispense drugs for abortion. Recently, our brethren at the American Medical Association (AMA) have joined in the fray by approving a new policy to encourage States to allow physicians to dispense medications when there is no pharmacist nearby (within a 30-mile radius) willing to do so. The AMA asserts large numbers of pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives and abortifacients. Some pharmacists, according to AMA delegates, are also refusing to dispense psychotropic and pain medications.

In addition, the policy-making body alleges pharmacists are refusing to return unfilled prescriptions to patients, thus preventing them from taking the prescriptions elsewhere, and they are "lecturing" patients about the drugs. While these accusations may sound extreme, I have no doubt there is at least a "grain" of truth therein. While I do not believe we have a right to confiscate legally written prescriptions, I do believe we have an obligation to counsel patients regarding the medications they are or are about to take. This is our professional duty and it is imputed upon us, so to speak, through our taking of the pharmacist's oath. As it may have been a few years since we studied the oath, I have included it below and have specifically related it to the issue of dispensing abortifacients further below.
Oath of a Pharmacist: