Can I morally dispense birth control as a pharmacist if I know its intended purpose?

[Calvin_95]

there are lots of jobs you can do that are consistent with your religious beliefs, but if someone’s religion holds that eating swine is evil, they shouldn’t expect their religious beliefs to be accommodated when they apply for a job at a deli. if they believe that alcohol consumption is evil, they shouldn’t expect to be accommodated when they apply for a job at a liquor store. if someone’s religion holds that they can’t work on weekends, they shouldn’t expect to be accommodated in looking for work at a night club.

this isn’t about religious freedom. it is the religion that is restricting the adherent’s freedom to do a job rather than the job restricting someone’s right to practice their religion.

If you are in a religion and claim it as your own; then you do not compromise your beliefs because once you go down that road, then the flood gates of compromise are open. They should have thought this out a little better; so now they are faced with a givng up what they worked for or compromising their beliefs.

I would put the Word of god above anything which goes against him since Christ is more valuable than all creation put together. Since He is the giver of life and sustainer of life, then those who honor Him with integrity before Him; He will not only honor, but bless in ways and measures that the person would not have ever imagined. He already died and suffered to redeem a group of people; what can anyone who is His child not be willing to do to honor and glorify Him above all things?

 

[Calvin_95]

I am a pharmacist, here’s how I handled it:

I first talked to a priest. My first confession in many years and mentioned it as a sin. He said I’d have to stop. Not much real conversation about it. But I still dispensed it. Then I talked briefly with another priest at a conference and he said since I was the middle man that it shouldn’t be a problem, but he could tell that it bothered me.

So I went to my boss and told her I could not dispense Plan B. She said ok, and I had to let the store manager know as well and I was supposed to get another pharmacist to handle the Rx if there was one there. Well I did fail on at least one occasion that I remember because I was too afraid to say anything.

That led to me renewing my efforts to be a pro-life pharmacist and I went back to my boss and asked if anyone had ever asked to not fill BC, (not just Plan B). She said she’d check and came back to me a few weeks later saying that no one had ever made that request. However she respected my position. I had to let all of the other pharmacists know that I wouldn’t fill BC so they’d have to check those Rx’s. None of the other pharmacists had a problem with that, but when I was alone on weekends, I had to.

Eventually I found a new job at the VA! 80% male and mostly from the Vietnam era meant a MUCH lower chance of running into a BC Rx. In fact the situation has come up a few times but I’ve just asked another pharmacist to step in without a problem. Most of them know my position since our VA has a Catholic Mass at 11am that I attend for lunch!

I’ve let my new boss at the VA know that I refuse to dispense Plan B, and the pharmacists know I won’t check BC. Plus I’ve taken a clinical role so I’m mostly meeting new patients, and have a panel of patients on warfarin that I monitor, so I’m rarely in the pharmacy anymore.

I feel very blessed. I encourage you to follow your heart and talk to a priest in depth. May God Bless you! And if you’ve contacted the NC bioethics Center let me know what they said! (send me a DM).

Then I talked briefly with another priest at a conference and he said since I was the middle man that it shouldn’t be a problem, but he could tell that it bothered me.

This is the compromise I was speaking of; if one looks long enough someone will say it is okay although it violates one conscience. The first priest had it right in relation to Catholic belief and the second was willing to compromise. Compromisers compromise because they compromise.

I’m glad things worked out in such away as not to violate your conscience.

 

[Rocinante]

If you are in a religion and claim it as your own; then you do not compromise your beliefs because once you go down that road, then the flood gates of compromise are open. They should have thought this out a little better; so now they are faced with a givng up what they worked for or compromising their beliefs.

I would put the Word of god above anything which goes against him since Christ is more valuable than all creation put together. Since He is the giver of life and sustainer of life, then those who honor Him with integrity before Him; He will not only honor, but bless in ways and measures that the person would not have ever imagined. He already died and suffered to redeem a group of people; what can anyone who is His child not be willing to do to honor and glorify Him above all things?

sure, but my comments were addressed towards those who think that there is some sort of religious discrimination going on. if someone refuses to do the job they are being paid for, it doesn’t matter that it is a religious reason for their refusal. it is still not any sort of discrimination on the part of the business that hired the person to do a job.

 

[dbouffard25]

lol…this post is hilarious to me. You are basically saying “you spent years of your life and 10’s of thousands of dollars to become a pharmacist…but it goes against the church…figure something else out”

Seriously, just be a pharmacist, don’t think about it, and thats that. You aren’t working in an abortion clinic. You will be giving out drugs that were prescribed by doctors.

He certainly is glib when it comes to advising someone else to change “jobs” after an intense professional preparation, isn’t he? Look into the standard teaching of the Church regarding material and formal cooperation in evil and consult with people who are familiar with these principles. DON’T develop a false conscience or scrupulosity. It is very easy for people to advise others to drop out and starve to death or, moreover, chase their own tail in a needless effort to avoid any cooperation with evil (impossible in this world). I do not know the exact answer for how to dodge moral culpability with grave matter while earning a living (and performing an a highly needed service) in this case, but I don’t believe we have to leave the pharmacist’s profession to only those who take delight in dispensing abortion pills and poisons for the purpose of murdering.

 

[dbouffard25]

And he did all this knowing the Church’s stand against artificial birth control. If there is one thing EVERYONE knows about the Catholic Church, it’s that it’s against the Pill! So he knew this going in… why did he choose a profession where he knew this would be an issue?!

Possibly because he was interested in the field and wanted to make a living, then realized that there were issues of conscience. I don’t think that the issues are insurmountable though: look up the concepts of material vs. formal cooperation.

 

[Theophorus]

I am graduating pharmacy school this May and am searching high and low for a community (retail) pharmacy position that would not involve birth control. I’ve found only a hand full of pharmacies across the country that are Prolife so my best shot is finding an outpatient pharmacy associated with a Catholic Hospital but some of these still dispense birth control. So, if I am unable to find a job without dispensing birth control, can I dispense birth control under material compliance? If I were to start a career including dispensing birth control would I be obligated to move my family if a different position opened and at what cost/distance? Personally my conscience is leading me that I could have a positive impact in a retail setting by informing patients and coworkers about the negative effects/mechanism of action of birth control and by offering alternatives if the opportunity would arise.

I’m a Pharmacist currently working in the UK and I started out in the retail/community sector. While these issues didn’t trouble me at first, I thought it would be ok as I was a bit of a CINO, but they gradually began to weigh on my conscience especially the likes of your “Plan B”, to the point where I felt I had to leave the community pharmacy.

I don’t know what it is like where you live but the clinical (name removed by moderator)ut and patient contact in hospital Pharmacy here in the UK are nearly as good as in the retail sector without the negative bit.

A priest who is now my spiritual director helped me navigate the difficulties I found, my suggestion to you would be to try to do the same.

May God Bless you, you are in my prayers

 

[Theophorus]

FYI Viagra is also marketed under the name Revatio for pulmonary hypertension. Techniqually it could be used for this. Similar use with Cialis.

The likes of Viagra and cialis aren’t necessarily problematic when used for there most famous problems, as they aid the completion of a natural function(I’m being intentionally vague as this should be a family friendly forum). They certainly aren’t problematic when used for pulmonary hypertension. the moral problem of contraceptives, whether barrier or hormonal arise from the contra bit, going against the natural order.

Plus, the people getting them aren’t all Catholic or even religious.

Will they go else where?
yes.

what a grey area

Just because they are not Catholic or religous that makes it ok? ah no!

Since you aren’t the one using or prescribing them, it’s kinda iffy.

I was only following orders is never an acceptable excuse