Wisconsin Officials Investigating Pharmacist Who Allegedly Refused To Fill Emergency Contraception Prescription

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 15 May 2005 - 8:00 PDT

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The Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing on Tuesday opened an investigation into an incident in which a Milwaukee pharmacist allegedly refused to fill a woman's prescription for emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse, the... Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The alleged incident occurred in January when a woman, known in court papers only as Jane Doe, tried to fill an EC prescription at a Walgreens pharmacy in Milwaukee. However, pharmacist Michelle Long refused to fill the prescription and allegedly called the woman a "baby killer," according to the Journal Sentinel. Doe asked Long's manager to intervene, but the manager said that it was the pharmacy's policy to let the pharmacist decide whether to fill prescriptions and that he could not make her fill it. Doe said that she was "too traumatized" by the incident to attempt to fill the prescription at another pharmacy, according to the Journal Sentinel. Doe -- who has six children -- said she subsequently became pregnant and underwent an abortion.

Lawsuit
Tricia Knight, Doe's attorney, said she plans to file a lawsuit against Long and might file a suit against Walgreens, the Journal Sentinel reports. "The pharmacist crossed the line," Knight said, adding, "It's one thing to conscientiously object. But you cannot intend to inflict emotional harm on a woman when she is making a very important and often very emotional decision in her life." Walgreens spokesperson Michael Polson said that Long had refused to fill Doe's prescription but that Long had no memory of the incident, according to the Journal Sentinel. Polson said that Walgreens allows pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions but prohibits them from discussing the reasons for refusal and requires pharmacists to notify a manager who is supposed to make arrangements for the prescription to be filled elsewhere, according to the Journal Sentinel. "We feel the policy respects our pharmacists' beliefs but also provides a means for taking care of the patient's needs," Polson said. Long no longer is employed at Walgreens, but Polson declined to say whether she resigned or was fired, according to the Journal Sentinel. Wisconsin law allows health care providers to refuse treatment on "moral grounds," but it does not include pharmacists, according to the Journal Sentinel. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin on Tuesday staged a rally outside the pharmacy that refused to fill Doe's prescription (Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/10).

Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing

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