Eye On Boise

Pharmacist conscience bill heads for amendment

March 18, 2009 8:04 a.m. • 9 comments

Rep. Tom Loertscher’s bill to give pharmacists or “any person” the right to refuse to fill a prescription for a patient on the basis of conscience is headed for the House’s amending order, to revise the bill so it applies only to pharmacists - not to cashiers, stores, or others. Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, proposed the amendments. “It’s simply a matter of burden of proof,” he said. “I don’t think it will change in any way the current practices, because people do have that right.” Emotional testimony on the bill stretched for two days before it was approved for amendment on a 14-4 vote. The testimony included pharmacists and other experts who said Idaho pharmacists already have the right to refuse to fill a prescription; Idaho has no law requiring them to fill all prescriptions. Among those who testified was pharmacist Gloria Hansen, who said, “I do know that we need to act according to our conscience. .. I lean on the rock which is the lord God.”

Nine comments on this post so far. Add yours!

slfisher on March 18 at 10:30 a.m.
Wait’ll the legislators realize it applies to all drugs, including Viagra.
Sisyphus on March 18 at 10:59 a.m.
You’re pretty amused by that aren’t you Sharon? ;-) But please, while the thought of Lurch not getting his viagra prescription filled is very amusing, it does conjure up a mental image nobody wants. (shudder) Moreover, I’m thinking its his sexual partner (shudder) who would be doing the complaining.
BlueinIdaho on March 18 at 12:38 p.m.
Yes, any drug or any “conscience”. If, for example, I was a pharmacist who practices Scientology…I’m thinking you’re not going to get your Paxil today. Or perhaps, I have the belief of certain sects of Christian Science…I’m changing your prescription from amoxycillin to prayer.

Good luck Idaho. You’re officially handing your medical decisions over to one guy behind the counter who may have just discovered that the Flying Spagetti Monster abhors anything round.
IdahoRocks on March 18 at 3:16 p.m.
Wow, God is now in the pharmacy; next stop, the doctor’s office! Isn’t this just a waste of taxpayers’ money since “Idaho pharmacists already have the right to refuse to fill a prescription.”

So let the taxpayers pay for the time it takes to discuss this two-day, “emotional” bit of needless legislation, plus the possible court fights that may result from it, and add to that the idiosyncracies of pharmacists’ conscience, and Idaho Republicans demonstrate once again their cultural, religious bias and inability to think reasonably and/or logically.
BRR on March 19 at 8:51 a.m.
There are three competing interests:
- citizens with a need to buy a legal drug
- pharmacy owners to run a business
- pharmacists to follow their conscience

I understand the bill prohibits a pharmacist from being terminated for not selling or filling a prescription which is against his/her conscience. By adding this measure, the bill gives the pharmacists a trump card and turns the business into a religious forum, if not a morality play.

This from the same legislative body that wouldn’t even move sexual orientation employment discrimination out of committee and wastes time and money declaring state sovereignty.

The bill isn’t necessary. Banning discrimination against 40,000 fellow Idahoans (about 4% of the population) is.