The Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association (AMA) is asking its membership to adopt a policy that supports eviscerating the freedom of conscience of pharmacists. Specifically, the following recommendation will be considered at next week’s AMA meeting:
A pharmacist’s deliberate refusal to dispense a drug on religious, moral, or ethical grounds, i.e., pharmacist conscientious objection, has been most often associated with Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, and has received considerable attention in both the lay media and in medical journal commentaries. Of all of the reasons why a pharmacist might not dispense a legally valid prescription, conscientious objection is the only one that places a pharmacist’s personal views in potential conflict with the best interests of the patient. As discussed in current AMA Policy H-120.947, our AMA supports responsibility to the patient as paramount in all situations. Thus, our AMA supports legislation that would require individual pharmacists and pharmacy chains to fill legally valid prescriptions or to provide immediate referral to an appropriate alternative dispensing pharmacy without interference.”
The Board of Trustees recommends that the following be adopted and the remainder of this report be filed: That our American Medical Association reaffirm Policy H-120.947, ‘Preserving Patients’ Ability to Have Legally Valid Prescriptions Filled.’ (Reaffirm HOD Policy).
This is just the latest in a well-orchestrated series of attacks on the freedom of conscience of medical professionals. Such attacks have become commonplace over the past few years (emanating from the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, federal and state courts, and governors’ mansions) and are most frequently encouraged by abortion advocates and their allies. However, this may be the most hypocritical. While purportedly supporting freedom of conscience protections for physicians, the AMA is arguing that similar protections should be denied pharmacists.
For more information on freedom of conscience for pharmacists, see The Tip of the Spear: Protecting Pharmacists’ Rights of Conscience
For more information on healthcare freedom of conscience (generally), see A Primer on Protecting Healthcare Rights of Conscience
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