Ethics and Medicine

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses if a pharmacist, who is responsible for giving out drugs based on doctors' prescriptions, can refuse to give out drugs due to ethical or religious reasons. Are they justified in any way, or are they in fact failing in their basic duties as a pharmacist? The paper explores this ethical debate and concludes that whether these pharmacists are right or wrong, one must remember that no one can use the power of the government to force an individual into doing something that is against his will. The paper points out that if a customer cannot fill his prescription at one pharmacy, he can always go to another store and avail him/herself of the drug that he/she wants.

From the Paper:

"The US House of Representatives passed a provision in September that would block federal funds from local, state and federal authorities, if it was ever discovered that health care workers were either paying for, or performing, or referring women to, abortionists. According to Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, "The explosion in the number of legislative initiatives and the number of individuals who are just saying, 'We're not going to fill that prescription for you because we don't believe in it' is astonishing". (Jones, 2004)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ball, Molly. (January 30, 2006) "No remedy in sight, state unlikely to revisit pharmacy issue" Las Vegas Sun. p. 7
• Boaz, David; Waxman, Judy. (25 April, 2005) "Can Pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions?" Legal Affairs. Retrieved Fromhttp://www.legalaffairs.org/webexclusive/debateclub_morningafter0405.msp Accessed 18 March, 2006
• Buerki, R; Vottero, L. (2002) "Ethical Responsibility in Pharmacy Practice" American Institute History of Pharmacy.
• "Citing Religion, Pharmacist refuses to dispense pharmaceuticals" (9 November, 2005) Retrieved From http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/2005/11/citing_religion.html Accessed 18 March, 2006
• Flanders, Laura. (2004) "W Effect, Bush's War on Women" Feminist Press.

More papers on Ethics and Medicine:

• Research Paper # 101194 : "Pharmaceutical Ethics And Practice"
• Term Paper # 125670 : "Differences Between Nursing and Medicine"
• Term Paper # 109594 : "Nanotechnology and Medicine"

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