Michigan pharmacist who denied miscarriage drug no longer in job

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The Hill

The Michigan pharmacist who refused to refill a woman’s miscarriage medication because he was a “good Catholic male” is no longer with the pharmacy company he was working for at the time.

Rachel Peterson filed a complaint through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan this week after a pharmacist at a Meijer grocery store refused to fill her prescription.

Christina Fecher, a spokesperson for Meijer, told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday that pharmacist is no longer with the company.

"Meijer strives to treat its pharmacy customers with dignity and respect," Fecher said. "The pharmacist identified by recent reports has not been employed by Meijer since early July 2018. While we cannot comment on any pharmacy customer matter, we apologize for any customer experience that does not align with our core values."

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/412186-michigan-pharmacist-who-denied-miscarriage-drug-no-longer-in-job

[Solly Mack]

1. Good.

She needs to sue the man.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. I agree. And them who employed this guy too. The employer for not exercising due ...

diligence and of course this idiot who took it on himself to deny this person, based upon some nefarious beliefs of his own. Disturbing. This amounts to denying others their rights.

[Solly Mack]

4. Yes. All of them.

Her health depended on that medicine and the idiot put her in danger.

[yuiyoshida]

13. This!

[AllyCat]

2. Maybe he can open his own little apothecary on the corner

With amphibian eyes in jars and stuff.

[demigoddess]

38. that is about the level of scientific intelligence in these people.

I had two miscarriages and had to have surgery afterward. These medicines are apparently used to keep women from having to spend time in the hospital and have D&C surgery after a miscarriage. But, of course, idiots don't know science. My sister-in-law asked me how I caused my daughter's genetic abnormality. Didn't even understand how genetics work!!!! and she has a college education!

[AllyCat]

40. What??? Your SIL? Did she ask her brother what he did?

It’s always the woman’s fault. I’m so sorry. The lack of scientific thinking is dangerous.

[raccoon]

5. Off to Greatest! Nt

[tanyev]

6. I wonder if these kind of pharmacists are honest when they are being interviewed for jobs

that they will refuse to fill certain prescriptions. If they want to open up their own independent pharmacy with a list of all the prescriptions they won't fill prominently posted, I've got no problem with that. Good luck staying in business, though.

[forgotmylogin]

33. I bet it's not even a question.

And it shouldn't have to be. If you're applying to be a ditch-digger, the employer shouldn't need to ask "Do you disapprove of digging ditches?" "Do you have any religious restrictions against using a shovel?" "Will you dig on Sunday? "Are you okay digging ditches for people who are agnostic or atheist?" ...

[Sgent]

37. For most employers

refusing to hire a ditch digger who won't work for religious reasons on Sunday (or Friday or Saturday) would be illegal religious discrimination. There are some exceptions but they are generally only useful for very small employers.

[DownriverDem]

7. Northern Michigan

Petoskey is located where folks in Michigan call "Up North". It's mainly white and republican all the way. The dumbest law passed was that if it is against your religion, you don't have to fill the prescription. If a pharmacist can't fill a prescription written by a doctor, then they need to make a career change.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. To Me, That Attitude Of His. . .

. . . gets perilously close to practicing medicine without a license.

If a doctor prescribes it, a pharmacist has zero business deciding whether that person should get the medicine or not.

Because of one's religion, one supersedes a doctors medical opinion? Really?

[melm00se]

10. Actually the pharmacist

should question the medication if there is a side effect and negative interaction with other medications.

[paleotn]

11. Granted, but they're a backstop.

It's still the MD's call.

[melm00se]

15. they are a critical backstop

as patients sometimes don't remember that they are taking drug A from Dr. Bob and Drug B from Dr. Jennifer and then they get Drug C from Dr. Mike but the pharmacist is the only place they fill their scripts.

Drs Bob, Jennifer and Mike don't know what the others wrote but the pharmacist sees A+B+C= Dead and refuses to fill the prescription.

This is what makes healthcare delivery such a complex industry and simple bumper sticker fixes won't/don't fly.

[Lucky Luciano]

17. Great points in general!

Obviously not applicable to this case, but great points.

[Paladin]

28. Like I said elsewhere: that's why pharmacy is a 5-year college degree:

Correcting doctors' mistakes, and riding herd on forgetful customers.

[forgotmylogin]

34. Right!

My mom goes to like four doctors, and it's happened where the psychiatrist and the MD have both modified or changed separate prescriptions within the same two weeks before I get a chance to get her updated med list to each of the doctors. The pharmacist is charged with going "hey, you can't take these together" and inform the patient and the doctor.

It's *not* the pharmacist's job to say "You don't need this" or "I don't think you should have this." (Beyond substituting generics if permitted and cost-efficient - again, that IS their job.)

[catbyte]

18. I actually had a pharmacist potentially save my life by refusing to fill a prescription

for an antibiotic. He told me he wouldn't do it until he spoke to my doctor and insisted on calling him while I was there. I have deadly, anaphylactic allergies to several meds, including the family of antibiotics the doctor tried to prescribe to me. I had all my allergies listed in their files and I'm sure glad I did. The doctor was horrified he prescribed it, apologized profusely, and changed it. I wasn't familiar with the specific antibiotic so I didn't know it was in the same family as penicillin, and it never occurred to me to ask. That's the last time, though. I always ask now, even though I carry around an Ana-Kit, just in case. I also have an anaphylactic allergy to aspirin and NSAIDS. It's amazing how many products contain aspirin. Even homeopathic medicines--especially those containing willow bark. Yikes!

That, however, is the only time a pharmacist should intervene.

[ProfessorGAC]

20. Apples And Oranges

While i concur, that's not what we're talking about here.

[DownriverDem]

12. Agree but

After Roe v Wade new guidelines were instituted. http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/pharmacist-conscience-clauses-laws-and-information.aspx

[CountAllVotes]

22. +1,000 !!

I'm dealing with a pharmacist like this right now.

My health care provider called an RX in for me on Thursday of last week. I did not receive it so my health care provider called it in again (e-script).

I went to pick it up and they said it was not ready and to come back tomorrow (yesterday).

I was in my pajamas and made it down there to pick it up and gee, guess what? It was not there much less ready for pick-up as I was told!

So I came home and called again and they asked said pharmacist what the situation is and he said, "Oh I'm a bad boy! I forgot!". Forgot? Hell no he did not forget! He is now a self-anointed dictator and he is calling the shots now, not my health care provider.

Now they are telling me to come back again today at 1:00 p.m. I will show up at said time and if it is not there I plan to file one hell of a complaint.

It is none of the pharmacist's business what my DX is.I am going to attempt to change pharmacies as I cannot stand to look at this pig of a man as he angers me so!

[ProfessorGAC]

25. Wow, That's A Drag!

None of this stuff has ever happened to me or my wife, but unfortunately, your story is not all that uncommon.

[catbyte]

16. I'm surprised this happened in Petoskey. I grew up in Charlevoix & still have

friends and family up there. I could see this happening in East Jordan, Kalkaska or Mancelona, but not Petoskey. The Charlevoix/Petoskey/Harbor Springs area is a blue area in a sea of red.

[Laffy Kat]

29. So if a woman pharmacist refused to fill a Viagra script...

Because she though it was the will of god that the penis owner couldn't maintain an erection, that would be legal, too?

[Paladin]

9. Not sufficient. He needs to lose his licence. (nt)

[CountAllVotes]

23. Agree!!

These know it all self-serving assWHOLES deserve to be fired AND have their licenses pulled from them!

Who in the hell do they think they are? GOD?

[Paladin]

24. That sonovabitch shouldn't even be stocking shelves at a pharmacy.

Much less dispensing prescriptions, subject to his religious screening efforts. It took him five years of college and a rigorous exam to become a pharmacist; he's been making a decent living at it. Let's see him flush all that down the toilet, as a warning to others.

[CountAllVotes]

31. I just called the RX company

They have advised me to change pharmacies, something I cannot do unless it is approved by the health care provider. They also want me to file a grievance. I will take the necessary action if the RX is NOT THERE TODAY believe me!

Around and around we go and gee, we are going nowhere Mr. "I'm a bad boy".

What a despicable POS!!

[Paladin]

35. Well done on your part. (nt)

[ellie]

14. Good.

Fuck him.

[BlueIdaho]

19. The new pharmacists oath

Should be:

I will fill the fucking prescription as written by the doctor and as prescribed to the patient.

For fuck sake!

[keithbvadu2]

21. Pederast priests are also 'good Catholic males'.

Pederast priests are also 'good Catholic males'.

Protected by the CC for many decades.

[Ilsa]

26. If you don't like getting grease on

your hands, don't become a mechanic.

If you can't stand the sight of blood, don't become a nurse.

If you don't like being around kids, don't become a teacher.

If you have moral objections to birth control, abortifacients, erection dysfunction drugs, or nicotine patches, don't become a pharmacist.

If you like being an asshole, become a republican politician.

[Peace06]

27. Pharmacist

Plus, he just made up that rule. I am a cradle Catholic and his interpretation is bunk.

[CountAllVotes]

32. I too am an armchair Catholic

and yes, you are quite right.

This whole thing is total B.S.

He using the Church as his prop to push his personal agenda which is pure crap!

[lunasun]

30. Good! Even though it pays good I don't want to be a plumber and get dirty & work around shit so

you know what?? I am not a plumber ! This guy needed to get real . Don't want to dispense legal pills for what ever reason ? Stay out of the pharmacy pill dispensing business jackass

[KCDebbie]

36. Everyone has the right to practice their religion or not practice religion at all...

But the Constitution doesn't guarantee you the right to be a pharmacist!

[Takket]

39. he isn't at Meijer anymore.................

but i wonder if he left Meijer to go somewhere else and is still a pharmacist somewhere. we need to know so this loser can be exposed.

[DonViejo]

41. Locking...

Duplicate, at best an update of https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142181704. A reader interested in the story would see the following paragraph in the duplicated article:

Meijer said in a statement that Kalkman's employment there ended shortly after the July 1 incident. They did not say if he was fired, citing privacy laws. A LinkedIn profile in his name says he was employed with Meijer for more than 29 years.