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Thursday July 19, 2007



     

Poll Shows US Public Support for Pharmacist's Conscience Clause

July 19, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Most American adults would favor a "conscience clause" allowing pharmacists to avoid dispensing drugs if the use of those drugs violates their religious or ethical beliefs.

A survey by Baraga Interactive found that 65% of respondents supported the right of a pharmacist to decline a prescription order for moral reasons. The survey of 1,249 adults confirmed a Medscape study in 2005 in which a similar proporation of US respondents-- 69% --supported pharmacists' rights of conscience.

Pharmacists who object to the use of drugs such as the abortifacient "Plan B," or birth-control pills, currently face a moral quandary in some American states. In California, Illinois, and Washington, the law requires pharmacists to fill any prescription that conforms to state and federal law. Several other states-- including Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Dakota-- have laws explicitly acknowledging the pharmacist's right to decline orders.

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