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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Action on Plan B in Olympia

posted by on January 15 at 13:34 PM

Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33, Kent) unveiled a bill yesterday on the first day of the legislative session that would require pharmacies to show that they’ve filled all legal prescriptions that physicians requested for their patients in order to maintain state certification as a pharmacy.

In other words: If a pharmacy doesn’t want you to get Plan B, they don’t get to be a pharmacy.

Beginning January 1, 2009, a pharmacy owner must file with the department an annual declaration that it has complied with its duty to timely dispense all legally prescribed drugs and devices or the therapeutic equivalent in order to meet the pharmaceutical needs of its patients, unless the department has granted an exception to that pharmacy owner. If the pharmacy owner fails to file the declaration required by this section, no renewal or new license shall be issued.

I asked Sen. Kaiser’s legislative assistant if Sen. Kaiser’s bill might be a little irrelevant. After all, there’s a pending court challenge on behalf of a pharmacist’s “right of conscience” (a pharmacist’s “right” to force their values on patients basically). What if the judge rules in favor of the dissident pharmacists?

“That’s why we wrote it to regulate pharmacies,” he said.

RSS icon Comments

1

Sweet! Props to smart legislators.

Posted by Gitai | January 15, 2008 1:54 PM
2

Totally sweet! Props!

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 15, 2008 1:58 PM
3

Very smart (and sensible) to get the legal argument out of the personal arena. It's about service and professional responsibility, not personal belief.

Posted by genevieve | January 15, 2008 2:03 PM
4

woo hoo!

Posted by Maggie | January 15, 2008 2:07 PM
5

Wait ... I wouldn't exactly call this a victory. According to those words, you have to have a physician's referral or prescription. According to this, if you don't have those, the pharmacy could still deny you.

Posted by *gong* | January 15, 2008 2:20 PM
6

I'm with #5, it isn't really a victory. I've taken Plan B about 4 times and none of those were a physician's prescription. All I did was walk in (after searching all over for someone who offered it) and ask for it. I filled out a questionnaire and they gave it to me. No doctors involved. So the pharmacy could still deny it as long as it wasn't at the request of a physician

Posted by fs | January 15, 2008 2:39 PM
7

Oh, darn. Good points, @5 and @6. Missed that.

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 15, 2008 2:49 PM
8

I can't believe the federal suit will go anywhere. If a pharmacist can deny Plan B on religious grounds, then a fundamentalist landlord would be able to deny an apartment to a cohabiting ("fornicating") couple. Been there, done that, sorry, the landlord loses. Or a Muslim taxi driver could refuse to pick up a priest with a bottle of sacramental wine (also generally seen as not permissible). A fundamentalist court reporter could refuse to record an oath. We would basically have a general strike at the hands of holders of government monopolies (such as pharmacist and taxi licenses). I don't think we're ready to dismantle all of our anti-discrimination laws just yet--or are we?

Posted by kk | January 15, 2008 3:13 PM
9

I think any pharmacy that sells spaghetti should be closed down, on the grounds that they are idolators of the Spaghetti Monster, and thus offensive in his invisible eyes.

I volunteer to confiscate the spaghetti and use it appropriately in religious services, provided someone else brings the meatballs.

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 15, 2008 3:24 PM
10

Amen Brother William and please pass the bread sticks.

Posted by Y.F. | January 15, 2008 4:09 PM
11

What #5 & #6 said, you don't have to have a prescription in Washington, getting one would take time (and time kind of important with "Plan-B") and unneeded expense. Sounds a a little like a cheap political gesture. I wonder what declaration,

a pharmacy owner must file with the department an annual declaration that it has complied with its duty to timely dispense all legally prescribed...
really means? What if they lie? But then Martha Stewart went to prison (and Scooter didn't) for lying, rather than the actual stock trade (or treason)


Still I suppose this could be useful, I wonder what the shelf life of "Plan-B" is?, I people who plan ahead could get a prescription during a regular exam then go to (at their convenience) pharmacies that have prick Pharmacists just to screw with them.


Posted by Epimetheus | January 15, 2008 5:29 PM
12

I've seen this technique before: we're not discriminating against homosexuals, we're simply banning anal and oral sex.

Posted by what goes around comes around | January 16, 2008 8:59 AM
13

@12 - what does that have to do with pharmacies selling spaghetti and thereby defaming Our Invisible Friend?

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 16, 2008 10:20 AM

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