Board will look into denial of medication
The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy will investigate the complaint of a Peoria woman who alleges that a Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill a miscarriage-related prescription on ethical grounds.
Kam Gandhi, executive director of the board, told The Arizona Republic on Monday that a full investigation will be completed by the fall.
Nicole Arteaga described in a viral Facebook post how she unsuccessfully tried to pick up a medication that would terminate a wanted pregnancy after her doctor determined the baby had no heartbeat. The pharmacist refused to fill the prescription, citing his
ethics. He did not relent even after both she and her husband attempted to explain the situation.
“I stood at the mercy of this pharmacist explaining my situation in front of my 7-year-old, and five customers behind only to be denied because of his ethic(al) beliefs,” she wrote in a Facebook post Friday that has been shared nearly 37,000 times.
The pharmacist ultimately transferred Arteaga’s prescription to another Walgreens location. Arteaga filed a complaint with the board and spoke to the store manager.
Gandhi said the Pharmacy Board had yet to speak to Arteaga or the pharmacist Monday.
“Obviously it’s a sensitive matter and we have to approach it delicately,” he told the Associated Press. “If we get everything in order, we’ll present it at the August (board) meeting.”
Arizona law specifically allows health-care providers to refuse to fill a prescription based on religious or moral reasons. Medical professionals are required to note any objections in writing.
Gandhi said the board had yet to deal with that aspect of the law.
“Does it have to be presented to the patient, does it have to be at the store, or does it have to be in the pharmacist’s personnel file?” he said. “That’s what’s up in the air.”
Based on their findings, the board will determine whether any further action should be taken or if the complaint should be dismissed entirely.
The law does not require them to refer the patient to another pharmacist or transfer the prescription to another location.
Walgreens said in a statement that any pharmacists who morally object to filling a prescription must refer the prescription to another pharmacist or manager to ensure the needs of the patient are met “in a timely manner.”
Arteaga contended that the pharmacist in her case did not comply with company policy, despite there being two other pharmacists on duty at the time.