Oh, Target, How Could You?

First, to clarify: The legal drug known as "Plan B" is emergency contraception (EC). It is not abortion. EC obviates the need for abortion because it prevents conception in the first place—just like other contraceptives. Got that? EC is not abortion, because it does not terminate a pregnancy; it prevents pregnancy from occurring. Like the pill, the patch, the condom, the diaphragm, the ring, etc. The difference is that it can prevent conception after unprotected sex, whereas other contraceptives are used before or during sex. Conception occurs within 72 hours of unprotected sex, so it's urgent that EC be administered as soon as possible after unprotected sex, hence the "emergency" tag. EC is also not the so-called "abortion pill" (RU-486), which can terminate a pregnancy medically.

So. Remember when I first mentioned the growing number of pharmacists who are refusing to dispense birth-control pills because it goes against their religious beliefs? These are people who are registered pharmacists and will not fill a legal prescription. That's right, there are women in this country who are trying to do the right thing and prevent unwanted pregnancies from happening, and they are being turned away. Well, the same thing is happening with EC—but now it's not just those Wal-Marts in the Bible Belt. It's our beloved Target. Say it ain't so, Tar-jhay! But it is. Planned Parenthood is working to compile a list of pharmacies whose official company policy states whether they would support an employee who refused to dispense a legal drug. Here are the good guys, so far:

Brooks/Eckerd, Costco, CVS, Fagen's, Harris Teeter, KMart, Price Chopper, Super Valu*

Hurrah! These pharmacies will not stand by an employee who refuses to fill any legal prescription (be it contraceptives, antidepressants, Viagra, or whatever), regardless of his/her personal beliefs.

Now, for the baddies:

Rite-Aid, Target, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Winn Dixie*

So if a woman walks into one of these pharmacies with a prescription from her OB/GYN, the pharmacist can decide whether s/he wants to fill it or not. And if that woman can't get to another pharmacy, or if that other pharmacy refuses to fill her prescription too, then she's out of luck. She may be faced with an unwanted pregnancy—for no reason. (And she might then end up seeking an abortion, the very thing that these fundamentalist groups are supposed to be against.)

While we're on the subject, read this story about a doctor who is doing everything he can to make sure that women who need EC can get it.

*If a pharmacy isn't named in either of the two groups above, it means that their company policy is currently unknown. Keep checking back at Planned Parenthood's Fill My Pills Now! site for updated information.

Comments

[nina]

Grrrrrrr, grrrrrrrr. That's about as articulate as I can be on this subject right now. It's utterly appalling. EC should be sold OTC, IMHO. Grrrrrrr.

[Scott]

"And she might then end up seeking an abortion, the very thing that these fundamentalist groups are supposed to be against."

Bingo! They are not about preventing abortion. I find that their actions make a lot more sense once I realized that what they're really about is keeping sex as risky as possible and thereby promoting their own puritanical view of it.

[Karen]

Would, then, a fundie pharmacist refuse to fill a prescription for Viagra if he knew the patient was unmarried? The thot plickens.

[Scott]

In principle, yes. But their main focus seems to be keeping the negative consequences in place: disease and unwanted pregnancies. Things which remove those consequences are never welcome: contraception, abortion, education, etc. They want people too afraid to have sex. Losing one's erection just isn't as large a fear as unwanted reproduction or sexually transmitted disease.

[Margaret]

This all sickens me. I can't believe how restrictive this country is becoming. Too many people want to make decisions, not just for themselves but for all the rest of us as well.

[Susan]

I haven't shopped at Target since I heard this and I sent them a letter to tell them why.

[Scott]

Welcome to conservative America. You can't tell wealthy people what to do with their money (i.e. tax them), but you sure can tell everyone what to do with regard to their medical decisions and sex lives.

[Joel]

This was the final nail in the coffin for our patronizing Target. It started when we saw their rating on buyblue.org months ago, and when this story came out a few weeks back, that was it. They shall no longer be favored with our custom.

So there.

Wake up and smell the hypocrisy.