Latest Dispatches from Jesusland: Revolt of the Fundie Pharmacists!

[Ben Kenobi]

But if he wants to carry them but only supply them to married women, then he'd still be in the wrong.

The trouble is more with the staff of a pharmacy who's beliefs are not shared by their employer. Why should the staff be held responsible for the decision of the owner to stock contraceptives?

Look at it this way. Suppose the pharmacist informed the owner ahead of time that she was willing to work there, but also of her own religious beliefs. Would that change your perception of this issue when that same employee stands up for what they believe?

[Ben Kenobi]

if their religious beliefs are preventing them from doing their job, they should be fired

Pharmacists are not cashiers. They are professionals. You may think them to be cashiers, but that does them a disservice.

What they do for their job goes well beyond dispensing condoms or contraceptives.

[Kidlicious]

Even though I'm pro-choice I respect these people. If they are morally opposed to selling something they shouldn't sell it.

[Sava]

I don't respect them... they are ignorant pieces of **** and should step in front of a bus

[Elok]

For the MA pill this is understandable, as given its capability to cause a zygote to fail to implant it could be considered an abortion drug, ergo a human rights issue to the people in question. But contraceptives...that's just trying to take a responsibility for other people's lives. If they aren't hurting anyone, they can decide on their own.

[Ben Kenobi]

There are pharmacists who mistakenly believe contraception is a form of abortion and refuse to prescribe it to anyone

Depends on the form of contraception.

The pill can work as an abortifacient, in hardening the endometrium to prevent the embryo from implanting.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Such policies are the same as barring all members of one religion from working there.

No it isn't.

The discrimination is based not on religious beliefs but an unwillingness to ****ing do the job you're supposed to do.

What you just said is akin to saying that by forcing their employees to work with pig remains a pork rendering plant is discriminating against Jews and Muslims.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Depends on the form of contraception.

The pill can work as an abortifacient, in hardening the endometrium to prevent the embryo from implanting.

By definition the embryo is not an embryo before it implants.

It is a zygote.

[KrazyHorse]

Ben, do you think before you post?

[Pekka]

"Look at it this way, would you ask a member of any other religion to perform duties contrary to their religious beliefs just to satisfy your request as a customer?"

Yes I would. I would first ask them if they seriously want to apply for the job, because there are things they need to do in it.

I don't consider getting your medication a normal business.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


The trouble is more with the staff of a pharmacy who's beliefs are not shared by their employer. Why should the staff be held responsible for the decision of the owner to stock contraceptives?

Because they work for him.

Duhpuhtuhcuhpuhtuh

You don't get to ****ing pick and choose what you will and won't do for your employer. Unless you have it written into your contract that you aren't going to provide X, Y and Z medicines you have to provide them when your employer tells you to.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Such policies are the same as barring all members of one religion from working there.

Not at all. Name me one religious doctrine that states a pharmacist can't give out birth control.

The very job of a pharmacist is to give prescribed medication to clients. If they can't do the job--for whatever reason--then they shouldn't hold it. Should an abortion clinic be forced to keep a doctor on staff who refuses to perform abortions on religious grounds?

Would it be right for an employer to specify that no black people were to work there and to can a worker just because they were black, and that violated the policy of the company as a whole?

What a dumb analogy. We're not talking about wholesale probition against a particular "kind" of person working there. We're talking about an employer having the reasonable expectation that an employee will perform his/her job.

Employers are under no obligation to accomodate religious convictions that interfere with the ability of an employee to do the job, as this does.

It's really quite simple: You won't do the job, you can't keep the job.

[KrazyHorse]

And if you have it written into your contract that you are only going to provide contraceptives to married women then your employer had better make sure that he has somebody who's willing to provide them to all women on hand at all times. Otherwise he's made himself liable to be sued...

[Pekka]

And we can turn it into another scenarion, what if ALL pharmacists would deny these pills because of their own beliefs? I could see that as a .. problematic situation, and if it's up to them to decide, then that could happen, right?

I don't think it's up to them to decide. Just like cops can't choose what kind of crimes they arrest for if they see it happening. If it's against their beliefs, well they still should do it, or find another job.

[KrazyHorse]

I'm going to go get a job at MacDonald's and then claim it's against my religious beliefs to serve non-Kosher food...