Many moons ago, I was on the pill. I took it religiously, but as a human, i'm prone to mistakes. I missed two pills, and in a moment of lapsed judgement, had condomless sex with my longer term boyfriend. The next day I was on a wild goose chase for the coveted Plan B pill.
At the time, Plan B was still a prescription only drug. I was screwed in the fact that it was Sunday and there was no way in hell I was letting 24 hours pass to get to my gynecologist. I left work early, lying my butt off as to why (really didn't want to say I needed to find the Plan B pill because I goofed up to my conservative, old-world-Italian boss), and began my search.
According to not2late.com, a clinic near my workplace was willing to write prescriptions for the emergency contraceptive pill, so I practically ran over there. I walked in and consulted the receptionist, who looked very pained and sympathetic when she said they did not do walk-ins on Sunday. She suggested the local Emergency Room, and wished me luck. I nearly cried. I was hoping to wrap this journey up quickly, and I really did not want to wait forever in the emergency room. My local hospital has deplorable triage and I was positive I was going to wait forever. Ever the trooper, I bussed over there.
I waited in the ER for two hours, getting antsy because if I missed the last bus, i'd be stuck at the hospital, and I'd have to call someone for a ride home, then have to explain WHY I was at the Emergency Room. I finally got called back, my vitals were taken, and I waited on the ER doctor. I felt bad for being there to begin with, because I knew there were very sick people in the waiting room and I was taking up their spot. Just about then, the doctor walked in. It was then I realized I was in for an ordeal. On his collar was that damn 'little feet' pin. I asked the Gods for strength.
So my doctor proceeded to treat me like I was a child. I was 19 at the time, well versed in my reproductive rights, and not at all willing to put up with bullshit. He told me that it was highly unlikely that I would become pregnant after missing two pills and having penis-in-vagina sex complete with ejaculation. I said that may be so, but I was not willing to take my chances, and I wanted to take the Plan B pill as soon as possible. He told me that the pill was 'expensive'. I said a pregnancy and a child would be much more expensive. He then dropped the doosy.
"DO you know that the Plan B pill may cause an abortion if you do become pregnant? Your baby may not implant as a result of the action of that pill?"
'That pill.' It's Plan B, not cyanide. And no, doctor, it does not cause an abortion. I felt my irritation rise up in me; however, my time was slipping away and i really needed to catch the bus, so I swallowed my anger and nodded. That I know that Plan B 'causes abortions.' The doctor looked very grave, like I was Mary Magdalene herself. I wanted to strangle him with his tie at that point.
He told me he'd phone my gynecologist and have her phone in a script for me, had me sign a form for discharge, and I left. While I was bussing towards the pharmacy, the ER doctor called my cell-phone. He said my gynecologist had called him back and said she was having an issue with the pharmacist over my prescription so i might have some trouble, and if I do, to call him back at a number he gave me, and he'd see if he could help me further. I was not a happy camper, praying I was not about to experience what other women have experienced with anti-choice pharmacists. I walked off the bus and into the pharmacy, and back to the counter.
The pharmacist, an aging man with whisper gray hair and spectacles, smiled broadly at me and asked how he could help me. I gave him my name and said I was here to pick up my prescription. His chipper demeanor dropped like a brick to a cold, expressionless one and he nodded, then walked over to his young, female assistant. He spoke with her, and they both stared at me while exchanging words. She then went over and found my prescription bag, rang me up, and I then left. I took the pills as I was supposed to, and I did not become pregnant.
I later decided this was all bullshit, and scheduled with my awesome gynecologist to get the Mirena. During the consult, I asked her about the ordeal with the pharmacist. She shooked her head and chuckled, then recounted the story. The ER doctor called her personally and asked her to phone in a script for me (nice of him considering he was feeding me bullshit during my visit) so she called one in for me. The pharmacist on duty said he refused to fill that prescription because he did not want to be an accessory to abortion. They argued back and forth for a while until she threatened to refuse to send any more prescriptions from her patients to his pharmacy if he did not fill my script. So he did.
This entire event prompted me to get the Mirena, which has worked wonderfully so far, so I would never deal with that again. I never thought I'd be one of those women. It was embarassing and demeaning. I would not wish that on another woman.
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Naked_Feminist commented on July 23, 2008, at 11:20PM: "They argued back and forth for a while until she threatened to refuse to send any more prescriptions from her patients to his pharmacy if he did not fill my script. So he did."
Wow. I'd heard a lot about the pharmacist vs. patient side of these issues, but not about the pharmacist vs. doctor side. Kudos to her for standing up for you and using her doctor clout to do so!
This happened to me when I was 18 and had only been on the pill for a month. Basically what should have been a 1 hour ordeal turned into five hours, 2 clinics, and 2 Walgreens. One very awesome doctor wrote me my script even though she was supposed to be leaving for home and told me to call her if I had any trouble with self righteous pharmacists. I've never cried so much in my life, but that doctor saved me from getting an abortion (because finishing college trumps being a young mommy).
What a nightmare.
I've taken Plan B twice, due to my cautious tendency to overcompensate when anything remotely resembling an accident occurs. The first time was in Nashville when it was still prescription-only, and the process was painless: My gynecologist called in the script after hours, and picking it up at Walgreens was no problem.
The second time, I was living in Brooklyn, and the pill had just become over-the-counter -- which made it a pain in the ass to find. None of the first five or so local pharmacies I tried, all big national chains, seemed to have any in stock yet since they'd just made the OTC transition. (Maybe overeager speculators made a run on the pharmacy...) Until that, I hadn't guessed I'd be wishing the thing were still prescription-only -- but if it were I wondered if it would have been easier to access.
Out of curiosity, Naked_Feminist, what city do you live in, and what pharmacy do you use?
At the time I lived in a small town in Beaver County, PA and I used Rite Aid. I continued to use their chain for prescriptions, just not that branch. Where I lived, there had to have been about six Rite Aids. Heh.
Just wanted to share my Plan B experience.
Hubby and I used condoms for maybe 15 years without a problem. One night, one slipped off. We already have a healthy, wonderful daughter - who'd been a challenge to conceive - and couldn't afford any more children. So even though I was almost sure that, at 36 years old, and not especially fertile, this one-time shot probably wouldn't get me pregnant, I figured better safe than sorry.
Happy to say the pharmacist didn't give me a hard time. I spent the $50, (thinking wow, what would a really poor person do?) took the pills within 24 hours. And ended up pregnant anyway. Now I know the package gives all the stats about how effective it is or isn't. But I honestly, to this day, cannot believe that it didn't work for me.
I'm glad Plan B will be there for my girls someday. But just a word of warning, by all means fight for and take your Plan B - but don't put too much trust in it. Given the odds of getting pregnant any one time there is penis-in-vagina ejaculation, hubby and I wondered (joking here) if Plan B is just a big scam. You take it, you don't get pregnant, you think it worked. But what if you just didn't conceive that time?
I'll be putting my girls (yes now there are two) on depo-provera and keeping a bowl of condoms by the front door, no questions asked!
I have a surprisingly good Plan B story.
A couple months ago, I went on antibiotics for a UTI. The infection and the doc appointment happened just 12 hours before my SO and I a week long trip planned. Therefore, in my rush, I forgot to ask about antibiotic interference with birth control. Also, as I was going to be on my period during the vacation, I decided to skip my blank pills and not bother with my period while away from home.
Fast forward two weeks, I start having some heavy break through bleeding. I look up on the good old internet what that might mean, taking into consideration the antibiotics and the taking only active pills. Well, I find that one of the signs that antibiotics are interfering with bc is breakthrough bleeding. I immediately panic.
I call the pharmacist, who isn't helpful. So I call my doctor's office, and they're really, REALLY nice and tell me it's probably just because I skipped my period. However, I was cautioned to use condoms for the rest of the month.
I eventually chill out, do some more research, and find that there is no real SOLID evidence that antibiotics interfere with bc. There haven't been trials or anything, just some correlations (which, as a methodology student, I know does not mean causation).
Unfortunately, the next week there is some condom slippage. Not much, but enough to freak me out once more. I decide to just go get some Plan B.
I'm out in the middle of rural Virginia. I am extremely nervous about getting judged. However, I'm more nervous about pregnancy, so I call the local pharmacy to see if they stock it. The very cheerful lady on the other end of the phone said, "We sure do!" So I immediately felt better and went to the local Kroger.
I asked a pharmacist (male), if I can get some Plan B. He asks for ID, and discretely carries it to the pick up register. I get some pursed lips from the woman cashing me out ($47!), but that was it.
I ended up not taking it because rationality prevailed and I knew that there was no chance I was pregnant going to get pregnant. I got my period a week later (yay!) and now I have some Plan B for any other accidents or panic attacks or to give to someone who might need it.
Wow. You hopefully used up all your "encountering jerks" karma for the month in that single day.
RE: The Pharmacist. I guess his willingness to discard his high and mighty moral principles over the lowly dollar tells you what kind of person you're dealing with there. I can't support or agree with a person in the medical field refusing legal prescribed treatment, but my disdain for such a person would be somewhat mitigated if he hadn't been so obviously concerned with money over all else.
RE: Plan-B. I had heard that if you have access to the pill that taking a mega-dose of it would have the same effect as plan-b. Anyone know if there is any substance to this of if this is just another piece of internet fiction I've picked up over the years.
I have no regard for that pharmacist. I support Plan B. I also support a pharmacists right not to dispense it. I know that it may not be a popular view, but if someone believes that their actions could endanger their immortal soul I would support them. To some people giving out Plan B would be like giving bullets to some one they knew was going to commit murder; or serving booze to some one who was going to drive drunk. I think that compelling them infringes on their freedom. This pharmacists lacks integrity. It pharmacist make a six digits, and if this guy is as old as he has been described I would assumed he’s set for life. For him to compromise his values like that saddens me.
Paul, you're wrong. The pharmacist has a right not to give out birth control/Plan B prescriptions, but he does not have a right to both refuse to truck with those forms of medicine AND be a pharmacist. Which is to say, he signed up to be a pharmacist. That means filling prescriptions on the basis of doctors' orders, not injecting his own moral qualms into the transaction. Also, the idea that birth control or Plan B causes an abortion is loony and contrary to science. That position is not entitled to our respect or serious consideration because it's factually untrue and has nothing to do with belief.
In sum: don't want to give out certain prescriptions? Fine. Don't be a pharmacist.
Paul,
I'm no expert or anything, but isn't it a pharmacist's job to DISPENSE MEDICINE? If he/she cannot do the tasks required for the job, then perhaps he/she should look for another job. You say that "compelling" this pharamcist to write a prescription for Plan B when he does not want to is infringing on his freedom, well what about forcing a woman to go through with an unwanted pregnancy? Or allowing medical professionals to shame you for a personal decision? Are these not infringments on freedom?
I am so sorry you had to deal with this awful experience- kudos to your awesome gyno for having your back, and to you for standing your ground against the odds!
Paul- As others have said, if someone is unable to complete the basic function of their job they should not be employed in that field. It is the pharmacist's job to dispense medicine prescribed by doctors. They are not doctors, and they don't have the power to decide that the medicine I was prescribed by a doctor. If someone is a vegetarian and is employed at a meat shop, they are not allowed to refuse to sell customers meat. That would mean they weren't doing their job. We would say the person should find a new occupation, not that they should be allowed to put their personal beliefs before the contract of their employment.
Furthermore, for women in rural areas or especially conservative areas, giving pharmacists the "choice" about whether they dispense certain medicines is dangerous. There is only one pharmacy in the one hour radius surrounding my house. One. If that person decided not to dispense birth control, what would my options be? What if I didn't have a car? It's bad enough that the medications are expensive, even moreso without the help of insurance. Let's not make it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for some women to get the medical treatment they need because they are subject to the whims of others' misguided beliefs.
I am so sorry you had to deal with this awful experience- kudos to your awesome gyno for having your back, and to you for standing your ground against the odds!
Paul- As others have said, if someone is unable to complete the basic function of their job they should not be employed in that field. It is the pharmacist's job to dispense medicine prescribed by doctors. They are not doctors, and they don't have the power to decide that the medicine I was prescribed by a doctor. If someone is a vegetarian and is employed at a meat shop, they are not allowed to refuse to sell customers meat. That would mean they weren't doing their job. We would say the person should find a new occupation, not that they should be allowed to put their personal beliefs before the contract of their employment.
Furthermore, for women in rural areas or especially conservative areas, giving pharmacists the "choice" about whether they dispense certain medicines is dangerous. There is only one pharmacy in the one hour radius surrounding my house. One. If that person decided not to dispense birth control, what would my options be? What if I didn't have a car? It's bad enough that the medications are expensive, even moreso without the help of insurance. Let's not make it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for some women to get the medical treatment they need because they are subject to the whims of others' misguided beliefs.
What my position is complicated. If I were a pharmacist I would dispense Plan B. I believe that Plan B and contraceptives are a part of responsible safe sex. That is me. Some people have a different sense of morals. Everyone has to square the deck with their conscience or God, which ever is more important to them. Some people have a honest belief that Plan B=murder. You may disagree with it, but that does not change other peoples belief. I don’t want to make absurd reductions, but I can live with people who don’t agree with me, even if they think the following examples are absurd: no one would criticize a prison guard who refused to be a part of a firing squad. The standard practice is to get several shooters; many with blanks and one with a live round; you may or may not be a killer when its all done. You will never know.
When I was in Iraq I was providing security to my outpost. I had a car drive up to the barriers that we had set up. Right the way up; danger close. A couple of weeks prior a suicide bomber drove up to where my fellow Marines (and roommates) were holed up and set off a car bomb. If I had shot the car it would have been ruled a good shoot; it might have been an insurgent testing our reaction, or a car bomb. It could have been an Iraqi surprised to find his usual route blocked by barbed wire and safety cones. I’ve been cased like that before and have been mortared just after it. Being mortared only becomes funny after you’ve lived through it a couple of times. I’ve shared this story before and no one has ever criticized my for not shooting other than the veterans that were there with me (because my moral dilemma could have killed people near me). Both these actions boil down too the uncertainty of whether or not your actions are moral (to your standard). A pharmacist doest know if Plan B is going to going to result in a non-pregnancy. I’ve read that anywhere from 30-60% of embryos don’t implant or survive to term. A prison guard, or myself could be presented with the same odds when tasked with ending a life. And for both of us it could be in the job description; something we get paid to do. My point is essentially is that if your morally object to a course of action you should have the right to not perform it. You should also have the integrity to live the with consequences. The Pharmacist in the OP was presented with a moral dilemma and chose money. He lacks integrity. If he believes that being party to abortion (even Plan B iin his reasoning) is compromising his values he should stick to his guns AND accept the consequences (profit be damned, in this case). I may not agree with him, but I support him.
Addenn
See paul, I wouldn't have a problem with a pharmacist who held this belief... except that he is imposing the consequences of his belief on others. That is unethical. He has a responsibility as a pharmacist to dispense the medicines prescribed. For him to refuse to do that and remain a pharmacist is wrong. The right thing for him to do would be to allow someone else at the pharmacy to fill the prescription at the very least, or at best seek another line of work.
If your beliefs are in direct conflict with your job, that is YOUR problem. Others should not have to suffer for it.
What would you say is the solution to this problem? One that doesn't result in women having restricted access to birth control, I would hope.
(PS: props to your gynecologist for fighting for you! That's awesome :D)