[Pflienews] PharmFacts E-News Update: Guv 'Slobodan' loses court battle, pharmacists have conscience rights

Thu Dec 18 15:42:14 MST 2008

*PharmFacts E-News Update -- 18 Dec 2008 AD #2

*

http://www.aul.org/pr_12-18-08-01

          Media Contact:

Matthew Eppinette

Communications Director

202-289-1479

Matthew.Eppinette at AUL.org <mailto:matthew.eppinette at aul.org>

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

December 18, 2008

Media Contact

Matthew Eppinette

202-289-1479

Matthew.Eppinette at AUL.org <mailto:matthew.eppinette at aul.org>

  Americans United for Life Applauds Illinois Supreme Court Decision
  Supporting Constitutional Rights of Pharmacists

*Chicago, Illinois* -- Americans United for Life (AUL) applauds today's 
Illinois Supreme Court ruling in /Morr-Fitz v. Blagojevich/ that 
individual pharmacists and pharmacy owners do have legal standing to 
challenge a rule requiring them to dispense Plan B, which abortion 
activists call "emergency contraception," regardless of their religious, 
moral, or conscientious beliefs.

The rule was originally forced upon the pharmacists and pharmacies by a 
2005 emergency order of Governor Rod Blagojevich, who stated in no 
uncertain terms that pharmacists should either dispense the 
controversial drug or leave the profession. Two lower courts had 
previously ruled that the plaintiff-pharmacists and pharmacies did not 
have legal standing to challenge the rule.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, AUL President and CEO, stated, "This is a huge 
victory for the freedom of conscience of all healthcare providers. 
Pharmacists now have proper recourse against a discriminatory law that 
would force them to check their constitutional rights at the workplace 
door."

Mailee Smith, AUL Staff Counsel, noted, "Finally, an Illinois court got 
it right. If pharmacists and pharmacy owners don't have standing to 
challenge a rule that unfairly targets them, who does? People should 
have legal recourse when the state attempts to circumvent and even 
eliminate their constitutional rights."

AUL provided legal support to the Plaintiffs from the initiation of the 
case, most recently filing an amicus brief before the Illinois Supreme 
Court on behalf of American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians & 
Gynecologists, the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the Catholic 
Medical Association, and other medical groups. The brief argued that the 
Plaintiffs' rights of conscience -- specifically their rights to decline 
to dispense prescriptions in violation of their consciences -- are 
guaranteed under both federal and state law.

AUL's brief is available at http://tinyurl.com/aulmorrfitz

 About Americans United for Life

Americans United for Life (AUL) is a nonprofit, public-interest law and 
policy organization whose vision is a nation in which everyone is 
welcomed in life and protected in law.  The first national pro-life 
organization in America, AUL has been committed to defending human life 
through vigorous judicial, legislative, and educational efforts at both 
the federal and state levels since 1971.  The /Wall Street Journal/ has 
profiled AUL, and PBS' /Frontline/ program chronicled AUL's successful 
efforts in Mississippi.

 Media Contact:

Matthew Eppinette

Communications Director

202-289-1479

Matthew.Eppinette at AUL.org <mailto:matthew.eppinette at aul.org>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PFLI PharmAid Center

pfli at pfli.org <mailto:pfli at pfli.org>
PO Box 1281
Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA
800-227-8359
www.pfli.org

PFLI supports pharmacist rights of conscience NOT to be forced to 
dispense or counsel for chemicals which violate their sincerely held 
religious, moral or ethical beliefs.  For more info see:
http://www.pfli.org/main.php?pfli=conscienceclausefaq

*** PFLI is the only pharmacy association which is exclusively pro-life.
It represents thousands of pharmacists and many lay supporters
in the USA, Canada and all around the globe. For membership info, key
PFLI texts, PFLI archives, late-breaking news, abridged newsletter excerpts
or general information, visit the PFLI web site at http://www.pfli.org.
Or e-mail us at mailto:pfli at pfli.org.

*** We do NOT send out SPAM. To subscribe to PharmFacts E-News, just 
send an e-mail with the word
"subscribe" in the subject area or better yet, just enroll right from 
our main news page at
http://www.pfli.org;  to cease your subscription [although we can't
imagine anyone would!] self-manage your account at: 
http://pfli.org/mailman/listinfo/pflienews_pfli.org

*** You may contact PFLI at any/all of the following: Pharmacists For 
Life International,
PO Box 1281, Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA,  1-800-227-8359 [US & Canada only],
 +1-740-881-5520 [voice] or +1-707-667-2447 [fax]; e-mail us at 
mailto:pfli at pfli.org.

*** You can order our publications as well as begin/renew your 
membership or donate right on our
secure website at http://www.pfli.org/shop <http://www.pfli.org>. Click 
on the "PFLI Store" link on the toolbar and
follow the prompts! There you can also donate to PFLI as well as 
purchase a wide range of publications. 

* *
-- 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20081218/e4a4ac3d/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 78028 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20081218/e4a4ac3d/attachment-0001.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: siren2.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 16161 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20081218/e4a4ac3d/attachment-0003.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 2923 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20081218/e4a4ac3d/attachment-0004.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: christmastree_shimmer.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 9677 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20081218/e4a4ac3d/attachment-0005.gif>