Yeah, I'm back at Movie Night this week, but only at the expense of Game Night tomorrow. Fall League always exacts its due.
Lately I've been embroiled in an online debate about these "conscience clause" laws that shield pharmacists who don't want to fill prescriptions for contraceptives. My concerns about the state making things difficult for small businesses aside, I'm troubled that the moral stances shielded are Christian and pro-life. I wonder if we'll start legally shielding the beliefs of other sects. Also, can these laws be extended to moral issues other than contraception? Should a pharmacist who thinks that sex is only for procreation refuse to fill a Viagra prescription for an elderly man? Should a pharmacist who thinks that AIDS is God's wrath be able to refuse to fill a prescription for medicines that fight HIV? Why should we shield pharmacists alone? How about the cashier who refuses to ring up the order? The stockboy who must bring in the drug from the truck? The bus driver who must drop the patient at the pharmacy? My gosh...extend this policy to its possible end, and we could wind up with half the economy refusing to service the other half.
Are Americans newly judgmental, or am I just waking up?
3 comments:
Lemme guess: you couldn't resist debating Ser Scot, right? This sounds like the sort of stupid idea he'd be all in favor of.
My POV is this; if I were to work at the district attorney's office, I may well be asked to prosecute death penalty cases. That's part of the job, and I know that going in. So I wouldn't expect anybody to have a lot of sympathy for me if I were to balk at doing my job, because it's not like it's a surprise. Same thing if Cyn became a butcher and then suddenly decided not to deal with meat; or if Star started working at a fertility clinic. Doing the job you signed up for is all part of being an adult.
Also, if it _is_ Ser Scot, try to get him to agree that soldiers can opt out of fighting in Iraq. I bet it can be done, because it's the same basic idea.
-S. Tarzan
No, it wasn't Ser Scot but LTA, who I am sure you are not surprised is defending this foolishness. For some reason, he can't understand that expecting someone to do the job for which he/she was hired is not forcing that person to abandon his/her principles.
Having known some first year pharmacy students, I highly doubt they've thought of the moral implications of the profession--which they really should do.
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