Position Statement on “Refusal to Fill for Moral or Religious Reasons”

Following is the position statement approved at the March 2001 Council meeting:

Pharmacists shall hold the health and safety of the public to be their first consideration in the practice of their profession. Pharmacists who object, as a matter of conscience, to providing a particular pharmacy product or service must be prepared to explain the basis of their objections.

Objecting pharmacists have a responsibility to participate in a system designed to respect a patient’s right to receive pharmacy products and services.

The following clauses, reflect the need to meet a patient’s requirements for pharmacy products and services while respecting a pharmacist’s right of conscience:

1. A pharmacist is permitted to decline providing certain pharmacy products or services if it appears to conflict with the pharmacist’s view of morality or religious beliefs and if the pharmacist believes that his or her conscience will be harmed by providing the product or service. Objections should be conveyed to the pharmacy manager not the patient.
2. The individual pharmacist must insure an alternate source, to enable the patient to obtain the service or product that they need. Any alternate means must minimize inconvenience or suffering to the patient or patient’s agent.