An American woman who was told she would suffer a miscarriage says she was left ashamed and humiliated after a pharmacist allegedly denied her a pill to end her pregnancy on moral grounds.
When she was two months pregnant, Nicole Mone Arteaga’s doctor informed her that her baby had stopped developing and she would ultimately have a miscarriage.
She said the doctor then gave her two options, to either undergo surgery or take prescription medication to end the pregnancy.
Ms Arteaga opted for the latter, recounting in a viral social media post the experience of attending a local branch of US pharmacy chain Walgreens in Peoria, Arizona.
“I stood at the mercy of this pharmacist explaining my situation in front of my 7-year-old, and five customers standing behind only to be denied because of his ethical beliefs,” Ms Arteaga claimed in her post.
“I get it we all have our beliefs. But what he failed to understand is this isn’t the situation I had hoped for, this isn’t something I wanted. This is something I have zero control over.
“[The pharmacist] has no idea what its (sic) like to want nothing more than to carry a child to full term and be unable to do so.”
Ms Arteaga said she left the store in tears, “ashamed and feeling humiliated”.
“[He] knows nothing of my struggles but feels it is his right to deny medication prescribed to me by my doctor,” she continued.
“I am unsure where Walgreens draws the lines with their pharmacist but does this mean he denies women the right to birth control and morning after pill.”
A Walgreens store in Boston. Source: AAP
Moral objection clause
Walgreens has apologised to Ms Arteaga but confirmed the company’s policy did allow staff to morally object to filling out prescriptions.
"To respect the sincerely held beliefs of our pharmacists while at the same time meeting the needs of our patients, our policy allows pharmacists to step away from filling a prescription for which they have a moral objection,” The company said in a statement.
“At the same time, they are also required to refer the prescription to another pharmacist or manager on duty to meet the patient's needs in a timely manner. We are looking into the matter to ensure that our patients' needs are handled properly.”
While the moral objection clause has caused controversy, it also appears to be permitted under state laws in Arizona.
It allows employees of pharmacies or hospitals, or health professionals who object to abortions, emergency contraception or devices to end a pregnancy, not to provide services or products that allow abortions to occur.
Ms Arteaga later said she filed a complaint with the Arizona Board of Pharmacy and picked up her prescription from another Walgreens pharmacy.
The store’s Facebook page has been inundated with complaints following Ms Arteaga's claims.
One woman said she’d couldn’t risk her family being denied medication because of the rule.
“I will not tolerate the possibility of one of us, or my children, being denied life-saving medication because some pharmacist with less education than I makes a personal moral call about the medication our DOCTORS feel is warranted.”
