On September 30, 2005, a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, denied a twenty-six-year-old woman emergency contraception. Yes, you read correctly—DENIED. Excuse me, but who the hell does this Target pharmacist think he is? Does the Target handbook state:
“Dear new employee, if you don’t agree with a customer’s purchase, be it high-waisted slacks, a high-calorie chocolate bar, or birth control, please feel free to exercise your authority as a Target employee and deny the purchase. After all, you know what’s right.”
For a company that positions itself as modern and progressive, this is a very archaic decision. Target seems to have gone out of its way to create a modern experience for the modern person, yet what is modern about refusing to fill a woman’s prescription? Target pharmacists stand mighty in their red smocks with a white bullseye and think they’re equipped to make decisions about a woman’s right to emergency contraception just because they have a degree in pharmacology. Is this right? ABSOLUTELY NOT. They have no idea if the woman in question has just been violated, if a condom broke, or what constituted the emergency. Why? Because it’s none of their business and that should never dictate them doing their job.
A woman trying to take control of her actions deserves credit, not criticism. Even Wal-Mart, the consumer behemoth accused of unfair labor practices, has signed onto Planned Parenthood’s pharmacy policy on emergency contraception. This means Wal-Mart will provide the emergency contraception pills in-store, without delay. According to Planned Parenthood’s Web site, in the past Wal-Mart pharmacies were notorious for not stocking Plan B or refusing to provide it. With no corporate policy in place, pharmacists were not held accountable for their actions. Now, this has changed. As much as it pains me to say it, thank you, Wal-Mart. Catch up Target!
Nothing gets me fired up more than when the government is allowed to pass judgment and deny women their rights. It’s happening more and more, and pharmacists at several major drug store chains are allowed to decide for themselves whether or not a woman is allowed to purchase Plan B, a form of emergency contraception.
