A short while ago, the Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy opened up in Chantilly, Virginia.  They proudly announced that they are “pro-life” and would not offer birth control pills, condoms and other items.  Yesterday, they announced they are closing because of a lack of business.

I am not going to gloat.  Instead, I want to talk about pharmacies that refuse to offer certain items because they do not support what those items represent.  We’ve all heard, for example, how some pharmacies are not offering emergency contraception because they consider it immoral.   In many states, they are passing so-called “conscience laws” which allow pharmacies to refuse to sell certain items. 

I gotta tell you.  I have absolutely no problem with these conscience laws.  

Let’s say I open up a little convenience store in the town of Hartsfield, Montana (Pop: 1,200).  I am gonna sell the usual things:  groceries, newspapers, those nice smelly things that you can hang on your rear view mirror.  But I don’t want to sell cigarettes.   Sure, I could make a nice profit if I did, but, darn it, I do not want in any way to be part of the spread of lung cancer in this country.  So, I’m gonna make a statement and tell folks to drive down to Pete’s Diner and get your cigarettes there. 

Or say the Grand Dragon of the local KKK comes walking in.  He is dressed in full KKK regalia, looks like he’s going to the monthly meeting with the boys.   He wants to buy a few donuts for the Board of Directors.  Well, darn it, I just don’t want to sell my stuff to his kind.  I refuse to take his money. 

What am I missing here?

I am pro-choice and think that contraception should be as available as possible.  But if a pharmacist is pro-life and the thought of even handling that packet of birth control pills is repulsive to him, then why should he be forced to offer them?  

Now, if a woman goes to a hospital for an abortion and a nurse refuses to help, I have more of a problem with that one because that woman might not have any other options.  That’s a tougher one for me. 

But the Grand Dragon can go down the street and get his donuts elsewhere.