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Science 10 June 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5728, pp. 1558 - 1559
DOI: 10.1126/science.1114371
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Policy Forum

PUBLIC HEALTH:
Conscientious Objection and the Pharmacist

Henri R. Manasse Jr.

The recent deluge of media attention about conscientious objection and the role of the pharmacist in helping patients obtain medications that some consider morally objectionable (e.g., the "morning-after pill") presents an opportunity to find common ground in what has become a highly charged public debate. The author of this Policy Forum advises that pharmacists must balance their right to conscientious objection with respecting the patient's right to access FDA-approved therapies. The issue is how to balance these divergent but important needs while simultaneously honoring the humanity of both patients and pharmacists

The author is executive vice president, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. E-mail: evp{at}ashp.org.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Refusal to Provide Essential Care: Duties of Providers.
B. J. Mears (2005)
AAP Grand Rounds 14, 30
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