More from author
-	The Titanic Effect...And The Criminal Justice System
-	Striking Back At Terrorism By Extortion
-	The New American Witch Hunt
-	Presumption of Innocence Denied In Virginia
-	A Supreme Court For the Religious Right? Not If We Can Prevent It!

See news about

activism AKP Al Yamamah alcoholism treatment Angelina Jolie BAE Systems Bill Murray bizarre news BRIT Awards Buick car crash Celebrity Commonwealth Bank Series Cricket Demi Moore extradition formula one France Gambhir genocide geri Halliwell headlines single Health Care Commission Heather Mills Hutu Hyperinflation Impeachment James Earl Katie Holmes Kylie Minogue Mika military tribunal MRSA Mugabe music Pakistan Pakistan Tour Paris Hilton Politics Ponting Prince Harry and Chelsy Rod Stewart Saudi Arabia SCG Secularists security Serious Fraud Office Sienna Miller Stockholm Syndrome Symonds terrorism The Huff Tim Burton Tutsi usic Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham nude Yves Leterme00710 Worst Nude Film Scenes2nd amendment50 Cent50-Centa-teamA-Team movieABBAAbbie CornishAbi TitmussAbigail BreslinAcademy AwardsaccidentsAdam SandleraddictionsAdeleAdnan GhalibAfghanistanAfton SmithAgyness DeynAir IndiaAishwarya RaiAl GoreAl Pacinoal QaedaAl-QaedaAlan ArkinAlan RickmanAlanis MorisseteAlanis MorissetteAlbert Einsteinalcoholalcohol addictionalcoholismAlec BaldwinAlesha DixonAlex TurnerAlexandriaAli CampbellAli LarterAlicia KeysAlicia SilverstoneAllahAlli SimsAmanda HoldenAmanda PeetAmanda SeyfriedAmazonAmelle BerrabahAmerican IdolAmerican PieAmy AdamsAmy RyanAmy WinehouseAmy Winehouse is planning a massive Christmas bingAnatole TaubmannAndhraAndrew MortonAndy HilfigerAndy SerkisAng LeeAngela MerkelAngelina Jolieanimal rightsAnjelica HustonAnna NicoleAnna Nicole SmithAnne HathawayAnnie LennoxAnthony HopkinsAnthony MinghellaAnti-IconAntonio BanderasAppleArctic MonkeysAretha FranklinAri SandelArmaniArnieArnold SchwarzeneggerArpad BussonAshantiAshely TisdaleAshlee SimpsonAshley ColeAshley JuddAshley OlsenAshley TisdaleAshton KutcherAsif Ali ZardariAsley OlsenAssamastronautAtonementAtonement\'Audrey HepburnAustraliaAvril LavigneAyda FieldBabelbabyBackstairs BillyBackstreet Boysbad influencesBaftaBaghdadBalticBangladeshBar RafaeliBar RefaeliBarack ObamaBarry ManilowBasraBattlestar GalacticaBBCBeatlesbeauty pageantBeckhambecome news reporterBeethovenBelgiumBen AffleckBenazirBenazir assassinationBenazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto assassinationBenazir Bhutto photosBenazir Bhutto stampsBenazir Bhutto willBenezir Bhutto assassinationBeowulfBernardo BertolucciBest ActressBest Dressed in 2007best haircutbest motorcycle movie momentsbest moviesBeth DittoBethlehemBette MidlerBeverly Hills 90210BeyonceBeyoncé KnowlesBeyonc¨¦ KnowlesBilawal ZardarBilawal ZardariBill GatesBillie PiperBillionaireBilly JoelBilly Zanebinge drinkingBipasha Basubird fluBismarckBizarre NewsBjorkBlack CrowesBlack Eyed PeasBlake FielderBlake Fielder CivilBlake Fielder-CivilBlaze Media ProblogbloggerbloggingBlurBMWBo DerekBob DylanBobby BrownBollywoodbombBon JoviBondBond 22Bond girlBond girlsBonoBoratBotoxBoy GeorgeBrad PittBrad RenfroBrainBrandon RouthBrandyBrazilbrazil prisonbread thievesBrendan FraserBrian MayBrian McFaddenBrian WilliamsBridget JonesBridget MoynahanBRIT AwardsBritish royal familyBritish Secret IntelligenceBritney SpearBritney SpearsBritney Spears adoptionBritney Spears body doubleBritney Spears lawyerBritney Spears psychological evaluationBritsBrittany MurphyBrooke ShieldsBruce LeeBruce SpringsteenBruce WillisBruneiBryan AdamsBuckingham Palacebulletproof vestBushBusta RhymesCairoCalista FlockhartCalvin KleinCameron DiazCameron MackintosCamila AlvesCamillaCanadaCanada¡¯s Juno AwardscancercannabisCannesCannes Film FestivalCapri Hollywood Film FestivalCarey HartCarla Bruni-SarkozyCarmen ElectraCarmit BacharCaroline KennedyCarrie UnderwoodCasablancaCasey AffleckCasey AldridgeCash WarrenCasio keyboard

 

As some recent news headlines have illustrated, the ongoing battle between pro-choice customers with prescriptions for contraceptives and pro-life pharmacists refusing to dispense them, isn’t about to end anytime soon. In fact, it appears that both sides of the pharmaceutical debate, both in government and in the private sector, are gearing up for a full-scale war, which could take months, possibly years, before any kind of resolution is reached. Which leaves pro-choice customers like you and me, who are still going to want our prescriptions for contraceptives filled, at a loss for options unless we can come up with a strong plan of action.

Since we cannot rely on some members of the pharmaceutical community to do their jobs – which is filling a customer’s prescription written by her doctor – we as customers must do what is necessary to make sure our right to contraception isn’t being hijacked by an anti-contraception moralist disguised as a "benevolent" pharmacist. All we need are a few sound strategies to ensure that our prescriptions for emergency contraception, birth control pills or other contraceptive methods won’t be held hostage at the pharmacy counter.



Strategy #1 - Don’t get caught unprepared, if you can possibly avoid it. If you’re new in town and there are two or three different pharmacies available, you should try and do some advance research. Get the telephone number of each store location, and call ahead to ask what their policy is on filling contraceptive prescriptions. Should you get someone who is either unsure of the correct answer, or worse, is unwilling to give it to you, ask to speak to the manager. If you still get the run-around, or you’re told that the store manager is unavailable, hang up and call the other stores instead. There’s no reason to take unnecessary chances with a pharmacist who might not stock contraceptives or refuse to fill prescriptions for them. Once you find a store that gives you the answers you want, take your prescription to that location for dispensing.



Strategy #2 - Don’t have your contraception prescription phoned in by your doctor’s office unless you are absolutely, positively sure that the person receiving the call isn’t going to refuse to fill it or deny releasing it to another store for dispensing at that location. If you don’t know the pharmacy staff personally, your best bet is to ask your doctor to write out the standard prescription slip and take it with you.



Strategy #3 - Before handing your prescription slip to a pharmacist you don’t know, make it a point to ask if he or she has a problem dispensing any prescriptions for contraceptive methods. If the answer is no, you can relax and hand it over for filling. If the pharmacist insists on looking at the slip first, or asks what it is for, you may want to consider the option of saying "never mind" and leaving the store to fill your prescription elsewhere, with the slip still in your hands or purse. Pro-life pharmacists insist they have a "right" to refuse to dispense contraceptives. However, customers have a right to deny them that refusal, by taking our business elsewhere.



Strategy #4 - Avoid going to the pharmacy at late-night hours, if at all possible. Sometimes, due to circumstances, customers have no other choice, but if you can, stick to regular pharmacy hours. If you work a typical nine-to-five business