Barbara Boxer: “today I am introducing ``The Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2005'' to ensure that our Nation's pharmacies fill all…”

“today I am introducing ``The Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2005'' to ensure that our Nation's pharmacies fill all valid prescriptions without unnecessary delay or interference. We are hearing more and more stories about pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives because of their personal beliefs, not their medical concerns. Some of my constituents have told me about their experiences. One woman in Merced County was turned away by a pharmacist who said ``we don't do that here,'' but, less than two hours later, another pharmacist in the store filled the same prescription for another customer immediately. It's not just in California, of course. In Menomonie, WI, a pharmacist told a woman he wouldn't fill her prescription for birth control pills or even transfer her prescription to another pharmacy. In Fabens, TX, a married woman had just had a baby. It had been a C-section. Her doctor told her not to get pregnant again in the near future, and prescribed birth control pills. She went to get her prescription refilled while visiting her mother in Fabens. Unfortunately, the cashier told her that the pharmacist wouldn't be able to refill her prescription because birth control was ``against his religion'' and was a form of ``abortion.'' The American people do not think this is right.…”