Pharmacists in the US are no longer at risk of being compelled to dispense abortion drugs against their will.
In light of the US Government’s executive order to “end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion”, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) rescinded guidelines that it said could be used to “force pharmacists to participate in abortion even if doing so violated their convictions”.
The 2022 guidelines claimed that it could be discriminatory to refuse to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone, and although this was revised the following year, the guidance still implied that pharmacists could be in danger of censure for not dispensing misoprostol and methotrexate, which can be used for abortion and non-abortion purposes.
‘Pregnant person’
The OCR warned that the guidance “could still be read to threaten pharmacists who refuse to fill certain other medications that may also be used for abortion”.
At the very minimum, the Government body noted that the guidelines were “vague and ambiguous, and can be read as continuing to promote abortion and, consequently, is inconsistent” with aiming to protect conscience rights.
In addition, the OCR criticised the guidance’s use of ideological language, stating that “the term ‘pregnant person’ is unnecessarily broad since only women and girls can be pregnant”.
March for Life
Last month, tens of thousands joined the annual US March for Life, declaring ‘life is a gift’.
President of March for Life, Jennie Bradley Lichter, described the theme as “an invitation to everyone to be swept up into a movement that transcends politics and celebrates joy, beauty and goodness of life.”
The rally, which culminates outside the US Supreme Court, has been hailed as the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world.
Mum ‘blown away’ by life-saving blood transfusion for her baby in the womb
‘Women in Ireland value reflection period before abortion’, says columnist