Court halts Washington state morning-after pill rules

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

SEATTLE - A federal judge has suspended Washington state's requirement that pharmacists sell "morning-after" birth control pills, a victory for druggists who claim their moral objections to the drug are being bulldozed by the government.

In an injunction signed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton said pharmacists can refuse to sell the morning-after pill if they refer the customer to another nearby source. Pharmacists' employers also are protected by the order.

Leighton's order is part of an ongoing legal and political battle over the morning-after pill.

Sold as "Plan B," the drug can dramatically lower the risk of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It is a high dose of a drug found in many regular birth-control pills.

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The injunction effectively sets up a so-called "refuse and refer" system, allowing pharmacists who personally oppose Plan B to send customers to another pharmacy.

Read more: http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_110807WAB_morning_after_pill_rules_SW.1ef07124f.html