Pennsylvania Legislator Seeks 'Middle Ground' On Emergency Contraception Bill

Pennsylvania state Rep. Dan Frankel (D) has said he has reached a "middle ground" in legislation that seeks to ensure patient access to emergency contraception and give pharmacists the right to decline to dispense the drugs based on their moral or religious beliefs, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Under the legislation, if a pharmacist refused to dispense a prescription on moral or religious grounds, another pharmacist at the store would be required to fill it or refer the patient to a nearby pharmacy where the patient could obtain the prescription. The measure also would prohibit pharmacists from "humiliating or intentionally violating" the privacy of customers seeking the prescription, according to the Post-Gazette. Pharmacists who violate the law would be fined up to $5,000. "Emergency contraception is critical in cases of rape or accidents like condom breaks," Frankel said, adding, "But it has to be taken within 72 hours to be effective so a busybody pharmacist can be a serious problem." John Yakim, a pharmacist at Plum, Pa.-based Yakim Pharmacy, said that that he has "a moral problem" with EC. He added that taking EC is "stopping a life, and [his] job is to protect that life." Frankel's bill is a companion to another measure that was proposed in October. That bill would require hospitals to offer EC to rape survivors in the state (Mauriello, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/12).


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