There are few political issues that chap my hide more than this one - pharmacist refusals to dispense birth control to women. It's not just that my medication is none of a pharmacist's business; and it's not just that men get to have their contraceptive devices handled over the counter. Oh no. This is an issue of some other jackass's ignorance interfering with my family planning, and it makes me want to grab a rifle and climb a tower. Pharmacists who decline to fill birth control prescriptions or morning after pills are not only morally unbalanced, they're preposterously misinformed -- and determined to stay that way. So. Here it is.

Dear Pharmacist,

Let's get this down for the books: the morning after pill prevents conception. Yes. Yes it does. Thirty seconds on the internet or one phone call to a nurse could clear this up for you, but no. You'd prefer to believe that it kills babies so that you can impose your own misguided ideas about sex upon a woman whose comings and goings are none of your business whatsoever.

Birth control pills likewise prevent conception. You know why women take them? It's because they don't want to have abortions!* Granted, there is a very slight chance that BC pills might, hypothetically, cause a spontaneous miscarriage. If this is actually your sole line of reasoning when you refuse to fork over the anti-fertility pills, you need to get your head out of your ass immediately and find another job.

For you see, also to be found among the things that can hypothetically cause a spontaneous miscarriage with the same approximate arguable statistical occurrence as BC pills: aspirin, ibuprofen, acne medication (Accutane), some kinds of aromatherapy essential oils, tight clothes, travel sickness pills, some indigestion remedies, and -- let us not forget -- the most dangerous thing of all for a struggling fetus: being born from a woman.

It is widely known that women aged 35-45 yrs old have an increased risk (20-35%) chance of miscarrying any given pregnancy; what is less well known is that even women under the age of 35 have about a 15% chance of losing a pregnancy.

So how about you pharmacists step up to the plate here. If you really want to prevent spontaneous miscarriages, you will ignore the fact that maybe, depending upon whose research you buy into, a tiny fraction of sexually active women who are on birth control pills might miscarry. Instead, you will concentrate on the fact that fully 15 - 35% of all pregnancies that do occur end in a spontaneous miscarriage.

Depending on correct use, about one in of every 100 women (1%) on the pill will become pregnant. Of those women who comprise that small figure, perhaps one or two percent of those will miscarry due to the pill. That's not very many lost babies at all.

Or.

You can refuse to provide birth control, veritably guaranteeing that at least fifteen percent of the ensuing pregnancies will end in the womb without any assistance whatsoever from any drug, pill, doctor, or device. Add to that the number of women who will seek out an abortion -- whether or not it's legal -- and you can kick that mortality rate up even higher, can't you?

So congratulations on holding a staggeringly counterproductive moral stance! In your professed effort to prevent lost babies, you are setting out to assure the exponential increase in lost babies! Unless, of course, that's not really what it's about at all ... is it?

But, giving you the benefit of a doubt for five seconds, we'll say that it is. Therefore, the course is clear! If you're going to hold off giving out birth control to women, you must also -- since you can't always tell if a woman is pregnant by looking at her -- refuse to sell aspirin, ibuprofen, aromatherapy kits, zit meds, and God knows what else to every single woman who comes through the door. You might be inadvertently causing a miscarriage! YOU NEVER KNOW!!!

Thanks for nothing. Signed,
A customer with a uterus who's taking her business elsewhere

Okay. Enough. We all know logic doesn't work, but it never hurts to try, right? And if you're wondering what prompts me to write about this right now, this rant comes to you indirectly via Dan Savage -- who reminds us today that "Target ... allows its pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control and emergency contraception to female customers if the pharmacist objects on religious grounds. What's worse, the company claims that any of its employees have a right to discriminate against any of its customers provided the discrimination is motivated by an employee's religious beliefs."

Oh yeah. This came to light last month when a pharmacist refused to dispense emergency contraception. Apparently that's just fine by Target. You can read more over here on Ameriblog. I know, I know. I'm disappointed too. They seem so hip. So progressive. Well, their home fashions may be, but their philosophy sucks.

Here's Dan's suggestion, in case you didn't feel like reading all the way to the bottom: "Don't just sit there, heteros. Defend your rights! Don't shop at Target, and write 'em and tell them why you're going elsewhere. (Go to Target.com and click on "contact us," then "Target Corporation.") As for Fry's Pharmacy in Tucson, the shop that wouldn't dispense EC to a freakin' rape victim, the fundamentalist pharmacist claims it's her "right" not to do her fucking job. Well, you have a right to free speech. Call Fry's at 520-323-2695 and ask them why the fuck a pharmacy that won't dispense EC keeps the drug in stock. Do they do it just to torment rape victims? ("Oh yeah, we've got EC—but you can't have any. Don't you know that Jesus wants you to bear your rapist's child?") Rise up, straight people, and demand your rights!"

Also, here's a link that might interest you: PP's survey of top chain policies -- including recommendations for chains with much more reasonable approaches to dispensation. Here's the list. Hooray for my neighborhood CVS!

[Edit: (Courtesy of retrofatale) -- I realize that Target isn't the only offender here, but I suppose I simply thought better of them. This is just the most recent case to make it to my attention, so thus the thrust of this post. At any rate, there's an online commenting form whereby you can send your regards to Target's pharmacy.]

[Edit: (redux) -- Sure. Link all you like. No need to ask permission.]

[Edit: (the third) -- (Courtesy of spidersweb) -- Target Corporation's Business Conduct Guide. Pertinent info begins on page 9.]

[Edit: (the fourth) -- Man. jinzi is good.]

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* And for a variety of other, non procreative, health-related reasons.