Pharmacy Refusals: Women Tell All

Although pharmacists have quietly been refusing to fill prescriptions for years, refusals have become headline news since 2002. Women who have been frustrated or embarrassed for taking responsibility for their basic reproductive health care are finally speaking out. Many of them have reached out to Planned Parenthood. Here are some of their stories:

In West Virginia, Catherine was prescribed EC by her doctor but was unable to find a pharmacist to fill her prescription in time. A few weeks earlier, she had been treated for a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. "I had been through enough already, and I didn't need a man I didn't know making things even harder for me," she says.

In Nevada, Debby was denied birth control pills for her teenager, even though, as a parent, she had decided that the pill was a responsible choice for her daughter. "Who is sitting on their mighty throne deciding who can and cannot have birth control?" she asks.

Laura, from Washington, was given anti-abortion literature instead of EC. She was also outraged by the sexism she encountered. "Men have their over-the-counter protection — what about me?"

In New York, after Elise was date-raped, she called pharmacies in her area to get EC. One Walmart pharmacist hung up on her. "I was on my own," she says. "If it weren't for Planned Parenthood, I could have suffered from a forced, unwanted pregnancy and more emotional and financial pain and stress than I was already going through."

Becky, in Oregon, says she was "refused and belittled" at two pharmacies before she found a pharmacist who would dispense EC. "It was humiliating ... to stand under supposed 'moral judgment' by close-minded individuals...," she says. "It made me feel less than valid and like a tramp when I knew that wasn't the truth."

Vivian, an Illinois woman, was refused by so many pharmacists that she could not get EC until one o'clock in the morning.

Johnna, from West Virginia, was lectured by a pharmacist, then denied. "She took me aside and explained to me that she shouldn't fill my prescription because my birth control method could cause a miscarriage and birth defects" — neither of which is true. "I felt as if I was trying to do something illegal, when I was doing something that would be considered very responsible for someone who is not yet ready to bring a child into the world."

Caitlin, from California, was refused more than a decade ago. Then 17 years old, she was berated by the pharmacist, who said — in front of other customers — that she was "too young to be having sex." Caitlin says, "I can still remember how horrible and how ashamed I felt." Luckily, another pharmacist stepped in to fill the prescription.

In Washington State, Christine was denied birth control pills, even though she was using them as part of medical treatment for ovarian cysts. "[Pharmacists] hold their morals so high they don't even think about the harm they inflict upon other human beings," she says. "I am here, alive and healthier than ever, all thanks to birth control. And I have wonderful pharmacists who actually do their job the right way to thank for that."

Many of these women have turned their anger, indignation, and embarrassment into action. Some have taken simple steps — such as transferring all of their prescriptions to a woman-friendly pharmacy. Others have taken political action and lobbied lawmakers in their states to pass laws to protect women's access to birth control. Every woman can help by spreading the word.

• Birth control is basic health care for women.
• No patient should face discrimination or delay at the pharmacy.
• Planned Parenthood believes that pharmacists have a duty to dispense drugs or devices lawfully prescribed by a physician.

© 2005 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. All rights reserved.