Welcome to Gaia! ::


Fluff Saint

15,400 Points
  • Love Machine 150
  • Jack-pot 100
  • Pet Lover 100
Milledgeville Pharmacist Refuses to Fill Prescription for Miscarriage Patient

Quote:

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga.-- Brittany Cartrett recently learned some bad news from her doctor about her pregnancy. She miscarried around five or six weeks along.

"So we made the decision to not do a D&C and to get a medicine. So he said I'm going to give you this medicine, you'll take it, and it will help you to pass naturally so that you don't have to go the more invasive route", said Brittany Cartrett.

The doctor's office called the Milledgeville Walmart to fill the prescription but they were told no and they were not given a reason.

"So we found another place to fill it but I still had to go up there to get another prescription so when I went up there she asked if I had any questions about this prescription I said no I don't but I do have a question about the other one. And she looks at my name and she says oh, well...I couldn't think of a valid reason why you would need this prescription", Cartrett said.

The drug in question is Misoprostol, which can also used to induce abortions.

WGXA's Chace Abrose spoke off camera to Wal-Mart pharmacist Sandip Patel who said he was aware of the situation and also said that pharmacists have the ability to turn down prescriptions at their own discretion.

Mercer University Law Professor Zac Buck verified that the ability to turn down prescriptions based on personal beliefs has been a law in Georgia for about 15 years.

WGXA also contacted Brian Nick at Walmart's corporate office who stated, "Our pharmacists fill prescriptions on a case by case basis every day in our stores throughout the country and we encourage them to exercise their professional judgment in doing so".

Cartrett said, "It's very frustrating because who is the pharmacist to make that decision. I understand that they go to school for a very long time for that job. They do a residency just like a doctor does, but I'm not going to see that pharmacist, I'm going to see a doctor and if its because of that due to the conscience clause I think its called, then what other decisions are they making based on our health and our needs by not giving a prescription to someone who may or may not need it".

Cartrett told WGXA since posting her story on social media she's had several people message her who were in similar situations, one of whom had to go to five different pharmacies before she could get her medication.

Mercer professor Zac Buck saID some states like Wisconsin have an addendum to the law that georgia does not have which encourages pharmacies to have pharmacists on call that will fill prescriptions when others at the same facility refuse.


This kind of really pissed me off when I heard about it. I'm in Georgia and I didn't know about this. I'm not terribly surprised though, this is why I hate this place. I've never gone to a Walmart pharmacy before and now I never will.

Almost forgot the link to the article : Link

Lord Elwrind's Queen

Dangerous Fairy

55,065 Points
  • Waffles! 25
  • Team Poison Master 250
  • Winged 100
*sputters*
Prescription was called in by a doctor and it was turned down because some stupid little ___ "couldn't think of a valid reason" for having it? ARE THEY ******** KIDDING ME?! Glad I do not live there! Glad I do not live there! Glad I do not live there!
Religious freedom, yo! Land of the free! rofl

But seriously, people wonder why a lot of us oppose bills like Indiana's. Because it invariably leads to this kind of crap where it quite clearly inconveniences and even puts people's health at risk when they have to go to multiple pharmacies, possibly wait days to fill a needed medical prescription. A woman can hemorrhage and die from retained placenta and tissue if it's not expelled quickly. She doesn't have the luxury of wandering around to multiple pharmacies possibly over the course of many days trying to find one to fill the prescription her Doctor ordered.

It's also frustrating from a work ethic standpoint. There are thousands of people that would give just about anything for that job while it's being occupied by some religious t**t who only wants to fulfill a tiny percent of their job duties that they were hired to do. If you're hired to do a job, do the entire job or get out of the way for someone who will...especially in healthcare fields.

It's like someone becoming a paramedic and then saying it's against their religion to give CPR so they'll let someone potentially die waiting around for a paramedic who will. It's no different to me. And I'm sure it's happened and will again soon enough....because heaven forbid someone's life intrude on someone's faith for thirty seconds to put some pills in a bottle and do their job.

Pay should be docked the cost of each prescription they refuse to fill and Doctors should be able to bill them for the time it takes out of their day to be on the phone to other pharmacies.
Rhianna
Religious freedom, yo! Land of the free! rofl

But seriously, people wonder why a lot of us oppose bills like Indiana's. Because it invariably leads to this kind of crap where it quite clearly inconveniences and even puts people's health at risk when they have to go to multiple pharmacies, possibly wait days to fill a needed medical prescription. A woman can hemorrhage and die from retained placenta and tissue if it's not expelled quickly. She doesn't have the luxury of wandering around to multiple pharmacies possibly over the course of many days trying to find one to fill the prescription her Doctor ordered.

It's also frustrating from a work ethic standpoint. There are thousands of people that would give just about anything for that job while it's being occupied by some religious t**t who only wants to fulfill a tiny percent of their job duties that they were hired to do. If you're hired to do a job, do the entire job or get out of the way for someone who will...especially in healthcare fields.

It's like someone becoming a paramedic and then saying it's against their religion to give CPR so they'll let someone potentially die waiting around for a paramedic who will. It's no different to me. And I'm sure it's happened and will again soon enough....because heaven forbid someone's life intrude on someone's faith for thirty seconds to put some pills in a bottle and do their job.

Pay should be docked the cost of each prescription they refuse to fill and Doctors should be able to bill them for the time it takes out of their day to be on the phone to other pharmacies.


They don't specify if they had to go to multiple pharmacies because the others don't carry the pill. And why in the hell drive when you can call and verify? That sounds fishy.
That, or she's that ******** stupid.
I think that, if the pharmacy has the prescription, then the pharmacist should either fill it or call in a pharmacist who will (why didn't they ask to speak to the manager? Because the manager would have called in another pharmacist or told them when they would be in.)
Thousands of people waiting for that job? That's funny. We're so short handed on pharmacists as it is that they pretty much get to write their own checks in the majority of places.
And I don't give two ******** if it 'inconveniences' her.
Comparing this to a life saving situation where someone needs medical attention right that moment though? That's hilarious and so far out of reality it's astounding you even tried to go there.
This pill is a very tiny percentage (if even 1%) of the pharmacists job.
If this were a mom and pop shop, I could understand their doing this, or not even carrying it. It's Walmart. I''d have expected them to carry it, but this is in Millidgevile, which is the same place where they conveniently lost all the evidence against Rothlisberger amid his rape accusation. And they found out he was a buddy of all the cops... and they still performed the investigation and whoopsied that.

Aged Noob

12,450 Points
  • Perfect Attendance 400
  • Bunny Hunter 100
  • Signature Look 250
Nyadriel
*sputters*
Prescription was called in by a doctor and it was turned down because some stupid little ___ "couldn't think of a valid reason" for having it? ARE THEY ******** KIDDING ME?! Glad I do not live there! Glad I do not live there! Glad I do not live there!


It shows a lot about the pharmacists knowledge of medication and the woman was probably better off not getting anything from that pharmacists. So many people hear it induces abortions and automatically assume the woman is evil for aborting her precious cells without any knowledge of the situation. Hate to see people forming judgements about folks based solely on medication called in by their doctor.

Also have to agree I don't live there.

13,000 Points
  • Forum Sophomore 300
  • Signature Look 250
  • Money Never Sleeps 200
*pulls v-neck and clears throat* Ahem... ARE YOU ******** KIDDING ME! Hey, pharmacy c**t, you know about the medicine, not the diagnosis. Kindly shut the ******** up and do your job.

Dangerous Cat

40,625 Points
  • Dressed Up 200
  • Signature Look 250
  • Hygienic 200
Old Blue Collar Joe
Rhianna
Religious freedom, yo! Land of the free! rofl

But seriously, people wonder why a lot of us oppose bills like Indiana's. Because it invariably leads to this kind of crap where it quite clearly inconveniences and even puts people's health at risk when they have to go to multiple pharmacies, possibly wait days to fill a needed medical prescription. A woman can hemorrhage and die from retained placenta and tissue if it's not expelled quickly. She doesn't have the luxury of wandering around to multiple pharmacies possibly over the course of many days trying to find one to fill the prescription her Doctor ordered.

It's also frustrating from a work ethic standpoint. There are thousands of people that would give just about anything for that job while it's being occupied by some religious t**t who only wants to fulfill a tiny percent of their job duties that they were hired to do. If you're hired to do a job, do the entire job or get out of the way for someone who will...especially in healthcare fields.

It's like someone becoming a paramedic and then saying it's against their religion to give CPR so they'll let someone potentially die waiting around for a paramedic who will. It's no different to me. And I'm sure it's happened and will again soon enough....because heaven forbid someone's life intrude on someone's faith for thirty seconds to put some pills in a bottle and do their job.

Pay should be docked the cost of each prescription they refuse to fill and Doctors should be able to bill them for the time it takes out of their day to be on the phone to other pharmacies.


They don't specify if they had to go to multiple pharmacies because the others don't carry the pill. And why in the hell drive when you can call and verify? That sounds fishy.
That, or she's that ******** stupid.
I think that, if the pharmacy has the prescription, then the pharmacist should either fill it or call in a pharmacist who will (why didn't they ask to speak to the manager? Because the manager would have called in another pharmacist or told them when they would be in.)
Thousands of people waiting for that job? That's funny. We're so short handed on pharmacists as it is that they pretty much get to write their own checks in the majority of places.
And I don't give two ******** if it 'inconveniences' her.
Comparing this to a life saving situation where someone needs medical attention right that moment though? That's hilarious and so far out of reality it's astounding you even tried to go there.
This pill is a very tiny percentage (if even 1%) of the pharmacists job.
If this were a mom and pop shop, I could understand their doing this, or not even carrying it. It's Walmart. I''d have expected them to carry it, but this is in Millidgevile, which is the same place where they conveniently lost all the evidence against Rothlisberger amid his rape accusation. And they found out he was a buddy of all the cops... and they still performed the investigation and whoopsied that.


It does compare because if the pharmacist can get away with not filling this prescription, despite it being their job, then they can do the same in the case of life saving medicine (Which this could potentially be, actually). And what if she couldn't find any pharmacists in the area who would fill it? Some areas there aren't going to be many pharmacists to choose from. We can't be allowing them to pick and choose which prescriptions to fill. If they have issues with some of the things they might be asked to fill then they shouldn't be pharmacists in the first place.

Angelic Ladykiller

9,050 Points
  • Perfect Attendance 400
  • Signature Look 250
  • Money Never Sleeps 200
Old Blue Collar Joe
Rhianna
Religious freedom, yo! Land of the free! rofl

But seriously, people wonder why a lot of us oppose bills like Indiana's. Because it invariably leads to this kind of crap where it quite clearly inconveniences and even puts people's health at risk when they have to go to multiple pharmacies, possibly wait days to fill a needed medical prescription. A woman can hemorrhage and die from retained placenta and tissue if it's not expelled quickly. She doesn't have the luxury of wandering around to multiple pharmacies possibly over the course of many days trying to find one to fill the prescription her Doctor ordered.

It's also frustrating from a work ethic standpoint. There are thousands of people that would give just about anything for that job while it's being occupied by some religious t**t who only wants to fulfill a tiny percent of their job duties that they were hired to do. If you're hired to do a job, do the entire job or get out of the way for someone who will...especially in healthcare fields.

It's like someone becoming a paramedic and then saying it's against their religion to give CPR so they'll let someone potentially die waiting around for a paramedic who will. It's no different to me. And I'm sure it's happened and will again soon enough....because heaven forbid someone's life intrude on someone's faith for thirty seconds to put some pills in a bottle and do their job.

Pay should be docked the cost of each prescription they refuse to fill and Doctors should be able to bill them for the time it takes out of their day to be on the phone to other pharmacies.


They don't specify if they had to go to multiple pharmacies because the others don't carry the pill. And why in the hell drive when you can call and verify? That sounds fishy.
That, or she's that ******** stupid.
I think that, if the pharmacy has the prescription, then the pharmacist should either fill it or call in a pharmacist who will (why didn't they ask to speak to the manager? Because the manager would have called in another pharmacist or told them when they would be in.)
Thousands of people waiting for that job? That's funny. We're so short handed on pharmacists as it is that they pretty much get to write their own checks in the majority of places.
And I don't give two ******** if it 'inconveniences' her.
Comparing this to a life saving situation where someone needs medical attention right that moment though? That's hilarious and so far out of reality it's astounding you even tried to go there.
This pill is a very tiny percentage (if even 1%) of the pharmacists job.
If this were a mom and pop shop, I could understand their doing this, or not even carrying it. It's Walmart. I''d have expected them to carry it, but this is in Millidgevile, which is the same place where they conveniently lost all the evidence against Rothlisberger amid his rape accusation. And they found out he was a buddy of all the cops... and they still performed the investigation and whoopsied that.
So, what would you say if the Pharmacist was a Christian Scientist who believed all medicine was the devil, and refused to authorize any prescription? To be honest, I'm completely shocked that such a story HASN'T come up

Lord Elwrind's Queen

Dangerous Fairy

55,065 Points
  • Waffles! 25
  • Team Poison Master 250
  • Winged 100
Old Blue Collar Joe
Rhianna
Religious freedom, yo! Land of the free! rofl

But seriously, people wonder why a lot of us oppose bills like Indiana's. Because it invariably leads to this kind of crap where it quite clearly inconveniences and even puts people's health at risk when they have to go to multiple pharmacies, possibly wait days to fill a needed medical prescription. A woman can hemorrhage and die from retained placenta and tissue if it's not expelled quickly. She doesn't have the luxury of wandering around to multiple pharmacies possibly over the course of many days trying to find one to fill the prescription her Doctor ordered.

It's also frustrating from a work ethic standpoint. There are thousands of people that would give just about anything for that job while it's being occupied by some religious t**t who only wants to fulfill a tiny percent of their job duties that they were hired to do. If you're hired to do a job, do the entire job or get out of the way for someone who will...especially in healthcare fields.

It's like someone becoming a paramedic and then saying it's against their religion to give CPR so they'll let someone potentially die waiting around for a paramedic who will. It's no different to me. And I'm sure it's happened and will again soon enough....because heaven forbid someone's life intrude on someone's faith for thirty seconds to put some pills in a bottle and do their job.

Pay should be docked the cost of each prescription they refuse to fill and Doctors should be able to bill them for the time it takes out of their day to be on the phone to other pharmacies.


They don't specify if they had to go to multiple pharmacies because the others don't carry the pill. And why in the hell drive when you can call and verify? That sounds fishy.
That, or she's that ******** stupid.
I think that, if the pharmacy has the prescription, then the pharmacist should either fill it or call in a pharmacist who will (why didn't they ask to speak to the manager? Because the manager would have called in another pharmacist or told them when they would be in.)
Thousands of people waiting for that job? That's funny. We're so short handed on pharmacists as it is that they pretty much get to write their own checks in the majority of places.
And I don't give two ******** if it 'inconveniences' her.
Comparing this to a life saving situation where someone needs medical attention right that moment though? That's hilarious and so far out of reality it's astounding you even tried to go there.
This pill is a very tiny percentage (if even 1%) of the pharmacists job.
If this were a mom and pop shop, I could understand their doing this, or not even carrying it. It's Walmart. I''d have expected them to carry it, but this is in Millidgevile, which is the same place where they conveniently lost all the evidence against Rothlisberger amid his rape accusation. And they found out he was a buddy of all the cops... and they still performed the investigation and whoopsied that.


An inconvenience? She is carrying around a dead baby her body cannot seem to get rid of on it's own. She can become septic and die - and pretty quickly too. And so you are saying that she would have to undergo the abortion technique instead. What if it were your wife? Or sister? What would you say to her to do?

Snuggly Buddy

29,150 Points
  • Conversationalist 100
  • Mark Twain 100
  • Conventioneer 300
"So we found another place to fill it..

Okay then so this is just an I hate Walmart story.
Not every business shares the same philosophies and beliefs as you. Support the ones who do.

but I still had to go up there to get another prescription

No, actually you most likely did not.
Doctors these days often send the prescription electronically (fax or sometimes secure email) to the pharmacy you request rather than hand you a paper script because that reduces the chances of the script being tampered with or duplicated.

However, I have had more than one pharmacist tell me it is not a problem for them to transfer the script to some other pharmacy for you.

And yes to the comments about she could have made a couple phone calls instead of driving all over.

Personally I go to the Costco pharmacy. Every time I have compared they have better prices (back when I was paying out of pocket for everything) and they generally don't have much of a line. They also have a good automated phone system when you want to call in and renew a script and having it waiting for you.

EDIT: Contrary to what the above might sound like I'm not too keen on those laws that let pharmacists not fill a prescription.
I'm okay with some variations of it. I remember reading one - can't recall if it was my state or not - where a particular pharmacist could not fill due to religious objection but the pharmacy as a whole could not deny it. So if one pharmacist wouldn't do it the same business had to have a different pharmacist who would.
Unless the reason for Wal-mart not supplying the prescription either they're out of stock or they don't carry it, there's no excuse for denying to fill it in this case. The baby is dead; the mother's well being is in jeopardy.

If this story is true, I hope the Wall-mart higher ups do the right thing and the pharmacist is looking for another job.

Clean Seeker

4,100 Points
  • Hygienic 200
  • Wall Street 200
  • Signature Look 250
User Image


A pharmacist's job is to fill prescrips, period, not make moral decisions for patients.

Religious freedom, to me, is people being able to use the drug of their choice during their rituals and do what they need to do during their worship. It is not the ability to refuse to serve someone or fill a prescription because it violates your personal beliefs.

User Image

Destructive Detective

19,200 Points
  • Bunny Spotter 50
  • Elocutionist 200
  • Cat Fancier 100
Nemone


This kind of really pissed me off when I heard about it. I'm in Georgia and I didn't know about this. I'm not terribly surprised though, this is why I hate this place. I've never gone to a Walmart pharmacy before and now I never will.

I'm not one to support Walmart, but this could happen at any pharmacy in your state.

Revered Vampire

12,350 Points
  • Noble Shade 100
  • Member 100
  • Frozen Sleuth 100
User Image

At least in the UK - so far as abortions/my knowledge goes - if someone refuses you, they have to by law refer you to at least 2 people that will not have the same objections.

kuroreo's Waifu

Peaceful Light

27,575 Points
  • Tenacious Spirit 250
  • Perfect Attendance 400
  • Ultimate Player 200
If she called ahead for the first one, what makes you all think she didn't call ahead for the second place? Common sense would dictate that if one place doesn't have it, better check out the other place too before driving out there. It doesn't say one way or the other though. So can't really assume she didn't call ahead.

Quick Reply

Submit
Manage Your Items
Other Stuff
Get GCash
Offers
Get Items
More Items
Where Everyone Hangs Out
Other Community Areas
Virtual Spaces
Fun Stuff
Gaia's Games
Mini-Games
Play with GCash
Play with Platinum