Ethics, Emergency Contraception, and a Pharmacists Morals

The Pharmacists ' Right to Choose

Upholding Personal Beliefs over Professional Duties

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The issue of birth control has always caused clashes between religious and moral beliefs as against health care rights (especially pertaining to women 's reproductive rights . Aside from contraceptives and other birth control methods , emergency contraception has polarized women 's rights advocates and pharmacists causing government and private institutions to come out with solutions protecting the rights of both sectors

Emergency contraception or sometimes referred to as the morning after

pill and the day after pill is a safe and effective means of preventing pregnancy after unprotected intercourse (Planned Parenthood Federation of America , 2007 . An emergency contraception pill contains hormones also found in birth control pills and must be taken within 120 hours after an intercourse . Moreover , it is meant as a back-up for Intrauterine Device (IUD , birth control shot and other similar contraception methods

This issue becomes significant because pursuing or putting halt to emergency contraception on the basis of its morality would affect either the patient 's right to obtain legally prescribed medication or the pharmacists ' right to exercise their moral and religious beliefs

The Right to choose is Ethical

Everyone has the right to uphold and exercise his or her own moral and religious beliefs - including pharmacists . Anyone could never be and should never be alienated with this individual right . Yes , the patient has the right to avail legally prescribed medication . But in performing this function , the pharmacist has the right to object on the grounds of personal views

Following this , Arkansas and South Dakota already have laws to protect pharmacists in the case of their objection to provide emergency contraception or other birth control prescriptions based on their ethical beliefs . Ten other states are considering the same legislation (Gardner , n .d

Legal and social institutions have recognized the need to protect pharmacists ' rights . This shows the validity of the issue and also shows that the pharmacists ' choice to refuse performance of his duty because it runs counter to his moral principles is both legal and ethical

To refuse as a matter of choice is Unethical

Looking at the use of emergency contraception as a just and morally right action would mainly be asserted by groups and individuals advocating women 's legal right to contraceptives . As Karen Pearl president of Planned Parenthood , puts it , Contraception is basic health care for American women (quoted in Alfonsi , 2005 . Following the logic that contraceptive is a legally guaranteed right , then violation to that said right such as refusal to fill a birth control prescription is wrong

Beyond the legality issue , women practice emergency contraception because they believe that it is part of being morally responsible parents . For example , if a couple already has three or four children and having another child would make it financially hard for them , they (especially the wife ) will not risk another pregnancy . Preventing unplanned pregnancies is better compared to bearing and raising a child without adequately providing for his...