Pharmacies may violate civil rights if they refuse meds linked to abortion, feds warn

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/13/ [login to see] /pharmacies-may-violate-civil-rights-if-they-refuse-meds-linked-to-abortion-feds-
Federal health officials reminded U.S. pharmacies on Wednesday that they must comply with federal civil rights laws in the decisions they make about supplying and dispensing medicine. This comes after multiple news reports of pharmacists refusing to fill some prescriptions for medications used for abortion, after the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

The guidance clarifies that pharmacists may not discriminate against pharmacy customers "with regard to supplying medications; making determinations regarding the suitability of a prescribed medication for a patient; or advising patients about medications and how to take them," according to a press release from the Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are committed to ensuring that everyone can access health care, free of discrimination," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in the release. "This includes access to prescription medications for reproductive health and other types of care."

The guidance to pharmacies says an example of such discrimination would be if a pharmacist refused to dispense prescriptions for mifepristone and misoprostol to a patient who had a first-trimester miscarriage. These drugs are used "to assist with the passing of the miscarriage," according to HHS. But they are also used for medication abortions early in pregnancy — and such abortions are now banned in some states.