The Cheers magazine
is looking for
new contributors

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 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 EinsteinalcoholAlec 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 keyboardCat DeeleyCate BlanchettCaterina Murino

 

Increasing reports of pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives are raising concerned questions among pro-choicers. In two recent cases, a pharmacist not only declined to fill the prescription presented by the customer for dispensing, but also refused to give the slip back to the customer for filling at another location. Not surprisingly, Karen Brauer, president of Pharmacists For Life, supports their actions, claiming that if a person believes that emergency contraception causes a "chemical abortion," the pharmacist has every right to prevent that prescription from being dispensed elsewhere.

The most current case took place in January 2005, at a branch of Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A mother of six children had taken her prescription for the "morning-after" pill, also known as MAP, to her local Walgreen’s for dispensing. Instead of having her prescription filled without any hassles, this mom, who quite understandably asked not to be identified, fearing a possible backlash, was publicly berated by the pharmacist on duty at the time.

"You’re a murderer. I will not help you kill this baby. I will not have its blood on my hands," the pharmacist is reported to have said. Michelle Long, who was interviewed by Channel 12 in Milwaukee, now denies ever making that statement. Long was fired in May, five months after the refusal took place. Jane Doe also reported that Long snatched the form and the prescription from her, and never gave it back, claiming it was "full of lies and I won’t be part of it."

Humiliated by Long’s public lecture, and fearful that she would face the same treatment by another pharmacist at a different location, Doe never got her prescription filled. As a result of a refusal by a pharmacist to do her job, Doe became pregnant, and chose to have an abortion. A surgical abortion, which emergency contraception would most likely have prevented, had it been taken in time.

What is particularly alarming is that reports of pharmacy refusals of this nature are increasing, and that the pharmacies are supporting employees who claim to be "exercising their right of conscience" in not filling prescriptions that go against their moral or religious beliefs. It raises a disturbing question in some of our minds; chiefly, are the notorious and dreaded Comstock laws now being brought through the back door when they can’t enter by the front?

The creator of the original anti-birth control statutes was Anthony Comstock, who was born in Connecticut – one of the most repressive states where contraception was concerned – then moved to New York City after serving in the infantry during the Civil War. A devout Christian, Comstock was appalled by what he saw in the streets of the city. In his view, the town was full of prostitutes and pornography. In the late 1860's, he began supplying information to the police for raids on sex trade merchants and rose to prominence with his "anti-obscenity" cause. Not content with cracking down on the sex trade, Comstock also began targeting the contraceptive industry. He was positive that availability of contraception alone provided lust and lewdness.