To think if a pharmacist refuses to dispense medication due to religious or personal beliefs

There is no pregnancy to end. The MAP is a contraception, not an abortion medication.

If you have sex whilst ovulating without a condom, you may end up pregnant. Without the pill or the implant or an IUD, you may end up pregnant. Would a pharmacist refuse to sell other contraceptives? No. They get in the way and prevent a pregnancy occurring, which would likely occur without them. Exactly the same as the MAP. You’ve had unprotected sex during ovulation so you take the MAP to prevent a pregnancy occurring, same as any other contraception.

You think your employer should own you? Well, I’m delighted that we ditched that kind of thinking a century ago.

Most people of they refused to do part of their job they would be fired. I know I would. And it's not even something as important and time sensitive as giving someone the MAP.

I admit that it may not be feasible to change the rules due to a shortage of phaemacists, but the idea that someone can refuse to give someone medicine that they maybe can't practically get elsewhere in time, but knowing that they won't lose their job because it might leave a rural are without a pharmacy is horrible.

Exactly this. Not every women is a well resourced, sharp elbowed and confident MNer.

The women who suffer in these situations are often those already at the bottom of the health heap. I've also known cases where women could not access MAP or an abortion due to personal religious beliefs overriding women's right to healthcare.

In the case of MAP I presume that those pharmacists with deeply held forced birther. religious beliefs also turn down payment for contraceptive prescriptions since women seeking MAP are not pregnant - they are trying to prevent a pregnancy occurring.

Seems like there is a pharmacist thread every week. Would be really useful if the op actually came back to the thread and explained if thos is something he or she has actually experienced or if it's a hypothetical plucked out of nowhere!

That’s true, but I’m talking about when they do decide to stock it.

Yeah- I don’t agree you are a man if you say you are and get a certificate from the government, but as far as I understand it legally you are therefore someone who is a man for terms of legal protection can be given the map.

It's not as if there's a shortage of pharmacies

Three in four pharmacies experiencing a pharmacist shortage, MPs told - The Pharmacist

Plus about 160 pharmacies have closed completely in the last 2 years.

It doesn't go anywhere.

All HCPs can opt out of the provision of contraceptive services or abortion services. They cannot opt out of anything else. This is long-standing explicit policy and there has been no "creep"

But they must signpost where they are available, and the local trust must make sure that services are available across its patch.

The detail is different. The principle is exactly the same. I’m very happy that people are able to make moral choices in their professional lives. The alternative is very dangerous.

They can refuse;
GPhC guidelines which allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense medication that goes against their personal beliefs if there is adequate alternative care available for the patient.

Nurses can also refuse to participate in terminations

I actually think it’s different. A gynaecologist isn’t front line; you book in to see your GP or go to a family planning/sexual health clinic/call up your local NHS abortion self referral number. You’ll be referred to the correct service and to a doctor who will perform an abortion or give the abortion pill. So, any gynaecologists who don’t do abortion won’t even factor in; they won’t be asked, they won’t be standing in front of the patient saying, “no, go somewhere else,” because the patient won’t end up in front of them.

It is a much bigger problem with front line staff when there isn’t an easily accepted alternative. Small towns or villages with one pharmacists and no alternative for miles is a very different situation.

I take your first point; but with the second, we're back in the circle of faith-based beliefs that are sincerely held by some but very much not by others - which is where this question all began.

Presumably, the pharmacy specifically order in all their own supplies depending on their anticipated dispensing requirements - and they don't just get a big mystery job-lot labelled 'Drugs' delivered every week.

If there's nobody in the pharmacy who is willing to prescribe the MAP, why on earth would they have them on the shelf in the first place - just like a vegan restaurant wouldn't have beef burgers in the freezer?

What’s the difference between this and a gynaecologist refusing to perform abortion on moral grounds? I can’t see the problem, it’s not as if there’s a shortage of pharmacies.

Thank goodness we live in a country where people are entitled to have different beliefs and (within limits) act upon them.

Though reading this thread is pretty depressing on this front

But providing MAP is an OPTIONAL service for practitioners which is the part you’re missing, it is not or never has been mandatory.

The OPTION to get MAP OTC in pharmacies became available in 2001 but there is nothing to say a pharmacy has to be supply it, many just don’t stock it.

Exactly. Same for nurses and doctors. And I say this as a humanist without a single religious bone in my body. People should have the right to object to assist or partake. Just go elsewhere.

I know that- I was just pointing out that it is an exception to the usual way of things, nothing else.

Then you quoted me, so I responded to you.

Maybe next time you think someone is saying something pointless, just ignore it and don’t invite further discussion about it.

I do get what you are saying, but surely that's better than the people saying 'they shouldn't work at all' - as you say there is a shortage of pharmacists.
But the risk to patients of not being ble to get the medicine they need also needs to be considered, and this risk would be mitigated by those with strong views working in a multi pharmacist venue, such as a large boots, a hospital pharmacy etc. It would be a balanced approach

The GPhC and NHS also both say women should be able to access MAP. They are prioritising forced birther beliefs over the health needs of women and fudging it by pretending there is always an alternative location. Women are not even pregnant at the point of taking MAP.

You can't always get what you want, somehow its always women who can't even get what they need from our healthcare system.

No, for 2 reasons.

1. because the group of people they will prescribe to are those who have a medical condition it is effective for- it isn’t based on a philosophical viewpoint or a belief system. They also wouldn’t give it to a woman who was 8 months pregnant or had had a radical hysterectomy because they don’t need it, they can’t get pregnant.

2. Female sex people can change their gender and have that recognised by the government gender recognition certificate, therefore becoming male in legal terms and still be given the MAP- therefore ‘men’ can get MAP.

We’re not talking about other contexts though are we, so you’re making a moot point. 🙄

That’s why it’s secondary discrimination- they are refusing to provide a service only needed by women, thereby disadvantaging and denying services to a group with protected characteristics (in this case sex).

It’s within their rights in this case because it’s (aiming to) balance the rights of the pharmacist with the rights of the protected group- but similar treatment would be illegal in many other situations.

Oh that's good. Is there evidence of this? Has someone done an equality impact study?

Do we have figures and a distribution map of those who object? Does it affect some communities more than others?

Are objectors more or less likely to work solo or in larger pharmacies?

There are many areas, often very urban that are more underserved for health services than the Highlands.

I did consider online provision but it's a time sensitive product so probably not ideal to get in the post.