"Medications are at the discretion of me and my doctor ONLY - no one
else. A pharmacist's job is to dispense only. As
such, the pharmacist has limited information about why that med was
prescribed. Allowing a pharmacist to pick and choose what
medications to dispense, based solely on personal opinion/beliefs is
wrong on so many levels. "
Then why on earth do we have pharmacists???
No patient has the "right" for force a pharmacist to do anything. A pharmacist can refuse to fill a perscription for lots of reasons--sometimes their refusal saves someone's life, in the case of drug interaction. Sometimes a pharmacist's attention will stop narcotic trafficing by a doctor. Sometimes a "patient" may have forged a prescription . . .lots of reasons. It's true that a pharmacist may not have all the information about why a particular drug has been prescribed, but then the doctor may not know all there is to know about the drug, either.
Pharmacists are experts in drugs and physiology--that's their job, and they have to know it inside out. Doctors take classes in pharmeceuticals, but they don't have the extensive training that pharmacists have. Doctors are also under pressure to prescribe certain drugs for reasons that have nothing to do with the patient's health. (Pressure from drug company reps, insurance availability, etc.) Pharmacists matter. They are part of the health care team, and for them to be treated this way is unbelievable. I think this ban has been introduced because so many know deep down that it's wrong, and this heavy-handed bullying is the result of the fear that most pharmacists WILL listen to their conscience.