Bill Would Let Pharmacists Prescribe Contraception
Proposed legislation about the "morning-after pill" should be easier for all to swallow, a lawmaker says. By Mark P. Couch
Denver Post Staff Writer
Printed 1/31/2006 Colorado pharmacists would be able to prescribe the "morning-after pill" to women who want to avoid pregnancy under a bill filed Monday. Rep. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said House Bill 1212 should avoid the emotional fight over religious freedom that led to a veto of an emergency-contraception bill last year. This year's bill lets pharmacists write a prescription to a woman who wants the pill. Pharmacists with a moral objection can choose not to. Last year's bill required all health care providers - including Catholic institutions - to notify rape victims that emergency contraception was available. "The governor said, 'You send me the same bill that you sent me before and I'll veto it again,"' Boyd said. "I'm not. I'm sending a different bill. It's the next step in access to health care." The bill gives an extraordinary power to pharmacists - the ability to write a prescription. Val Kalnins, executive director of the Colorado Pharmacists Society, said it would be a first for pharmacists in the state. His group supports the bill. The bill is designed to dodge problems other states have with laws that make it mandatory for pharmacists to fill a prescription even if they have a moral objection. In Illinois last month, four Walgreens pharmacists filed a claim that they were "effectively fired" for their moral beliefs after they refused to fill emergency-contraception prescriptions, as required by that state's law. Emergency contraception, sold under the name Plan B, is a set of two pills that provide a higher dose of hormones than standard oral contraceptives.
The drug is most effective if taken within 24 hours of sex but can be taken up to 120 hours later. Some critics say the pills have the same effect as abortion. Emergency-contraception supporters say it helps avoid abortions by preventing pregnancy from occurring. "Our goal is to make abortion rare, along with keeping it legal and safe," said Kathryn Wittneben, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado. "To reduce unintended pregnancies, we believe providing access to emergency contraception is a cost-effective and safe way to address this issue for the women of Colorado." Tim Dore, lobbyist for the Colorado Catholic Conference, said the church would object to any requirement to provide or sell the morning-after pill. Dan Hopkins, spokesman for Gov. Bill Owens, said the governor has not seen the bill and would reserve judgment until he reviewed it.
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