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Pharmacists Right of Conscience 10/1/2008 Pharmacists in Washington continue to fight for their religious freedom as pro-abortion opponents persist in their legal campaign to force pharmacists to sell the morning-after pill. An injunction is currently in place to allow pharmacists to choose not to sell the morning-after pill, and abortion advocates have repeatedly and unsuccessfully appealed to the Washington courts to overturn it and use the full weight of the law to force pharmacists to sell a drug that ends a child's life. Thus far, the courts have sided with the pharmacists, and the injunction still stands.
An appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the injunction is currently in motion. While the written arguments led to the courts ruling in favor of the pharmacists, three of the 9th Circuit Judges recently heard oral arguments and will return their opinions soon. Please pray that God's righteousness will prevail in these proceedings and that these pharmacists will not be forced to choose between their faith and their profession.
Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), says, "Pharmacists who have moral qualms about handing out a drug that could take an innocent life should be fully protected against being forced to participate in such an act. Medical textbooks state that life begins at conception and before implantation. Drugs that claim they can 'prevent a pregnancy' by prohibiting the implantation of an embryo would, logically, be ending a life. Religious beliefs against taking a life should be encouraged, not punished."
Maureen Richardson, State Director for CWA of Washington, states, "The First Amendment was written to protect citizens from government tyranny with regard to freedom of speech, religion and the press. It's just common sense that if a person's sincerely held religious beliefs guide them to oppose certain medical procedures or drugs, they must have the right to not participate in such practice."
"To force someone to act against their conscience is akin to moral tyranny, a situation which the Founding Fathers protected us from in the Bill of Rights."
Please pray for the situation in Washington State, that the sanctity of life would prevail and health care providers would be allowed the freedom to act as their conscience directs them. To learn more about this case, please read "Update on Pharmacy Conscience Clause Issue" in CWA of Washington" Winter 2008 newsletter.
To learn more about a current proposal by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would protect conscience rights for health care providers, please listen to a recent interview that CWA did with Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association. To read a letter that CWA submitted to Secretary of HHS, Mike Leavitt, with regards to the draft regulations, please visit http://www.cwfa.org/images/content/cwacomments08.pdf.
To get involved in CWA of Washington, go to Washington.cwfa.org or e-mail director@washington.cwfa.org. If you would like to get involved with one of our other fine state organizations, please visit the CWA in the States site.
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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