Blagojevich imposed an "emergency rule" stating that a pharmacist "must dispense . . . without delay" contraceptives, including so-called emergency contraceptives such as the "morning after" pill, despite the state's right-of-conscience act.
Steven H. Aden, chief litigation counsel of CLS's Center for Law and Religious Freedom, said the right of conscience is an important component of religious liberty. "Pharmacists should not be forced to fill prescriptions for the 'morning after' abortion pill," he said, "if it violates their conscience."
Shortly after ADF and CLS filed suit, Albertsons distributed a memo to all its Illinois pharmacists stating it would accommodate their right of conscience by permitting them to refer prescriptions to which they conscientiously object to another Albertsons pharmacist or
to a competitor.
"We applaud the decision by Albertsons to restore to Mr. Scimio and other Albertsons pharmacists the same rights they had prior to the governor's action," Aden said, "and allow them to be true to their beliefs about the sanctity of human life."
That's not the only drug Albertson's is playing sanctimonious pomp with. Check this out from the Salt Lake City Tribune's letters to the editors:
Four years ago, I got sober. As I am an alcoholic, this was a huge undertaking and something I work on every day. Recently I headed into my Albertson's pharmacy with my hope, fear, trepidation and anxiety about the future. As I handed my prescription for antabuse and naltrexone (anti-craving drug) to the pharmacist, I saw his face change and harden. He informed me that he didn't carry that drug (never looking me in the face) and that I needed to go somewhere else as he tossed the prescriptions back at my pathetic self. I will never forget how I felt that day or how I almost let a self-righteous, judgmental pharmacist change my life.
I can't imagine what he would do if someone wanted the Plan B pill. Pharmacists fill prescriptions, they are not a customer's moral conscience. If they can't take the heat, they should get out of the pharmacy.
Albertson's reported today its first quarter earnings tripled from last year.
After moving higher most of the session, Albertson's Inc. slipped 5 cents to $21.45 as the nation's second-largest grocery store chain tripled its quarterly earnings from a year ago. Albertson's credited the addition of the Shaw's chain as well as continued recovery in southern California from last year's grocery worker strike.
We won't be shopping there.