THREE FILE SUIT IN MASSACHUSETTS…
Citing business reasons, Wal Mart does not carry the Plan B, morning-after contreceptive in Massachusetts. Three women there think that is wrong and illegal. They have brought suit in Suffolk Superior Court to compel the company to stock the medication.
According to CBS affiliate Channel 4 in Boston:
The plaintiffs are Katrina McCarty of Somerville, Julie Battel of Boston, and Dr. Rebekah Gee of Boston. All three were turned away when they tried to buy emergency contraception pills at area Wal-Marts.
Gee says she regularly prescribes the morning after pill to her patients as a stand by emergency contraceptive… but when she went into a local Walmart with a prescription for it, she was told they couldn’t and wouldn’t fill it.
What a humiliating experience for a woman in her time of need who really needs it. she said.
From the Associated Press:
Wal-Mart carries the morning-after pill in Illinois only, where it is required under state law, said Dan Fogleman, a spokesman for Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart.
Fogleman said the company chooses not to carry many products for business reasons. He would not elaborate. But in a letter to a lawyer for the plaintiffs, a Wal-Mart attorney said the store chain does not regard the drug as commonly prescribed.
How much you want to bet the company does consider Viagra as commonly prescribed?
[...] THREE FILE SUIT IN MASSACHUSETTS… Citing business reasons, Wal Mart does not carry the Plan B, morning-after contreceptive in Massachusetts. Three women there think that is wrong and illegal. They have brought suit in Suffolk Superior Court to compel the company to stock the medication. Keep reading… [...]
I have worked in the pharmacy at a Wal-Mart for 9 years. Only ONCE have I seen a prescription brought in for the morning after pill. We fill 15-20 presriptions per week for Viagra or Cialis, so yes, I would consider that a commonly prescribed drug. Why you would you even compare the two drugs makes no sense to me.
Shalom Pharmacy Tech,
First, thank you for stopping in, for reading, and, most importantly, for taking the time to comment (although I might wish you wouldn’t do so anonymously).
I mention Viagra because of the historical disparity between insurance coverage for birth control drugs and the recent flood of woody-enhancing drugs.
The pharmaceutical and insurance industries have long records of playing to males in research, drugs and coverage.
As to your own experience, perhaps the fact that Illinois is the only state that requires your employer to carry the drug is skewing your anecdotal observation. I would have to wonder how a store in an equivalent demographic as your own might report sales for Plan B.
B’shalom,
Jeff Hess
It is possible that word has gotten out that Walmart doesn’t carry Plan B and so no one tries to get their prescription filled there.
One would need to do a survey of people’s behavior and/or of the experiences of neighboring pharmacies for any meaningful conclusions to be drawn.
There was a similar discussion elsewhere and one of the reasons given was lack of demand and the fear that the drug would expire, but apparently that was debunked when it was shown that the shelf life was long enough for them to maintain a fresh supply. (I think the store in question was a Target, but I’m not sure).
The only reason that Walmart can offer is that it is a “business decision” – every decision that a business makes is a “business decision”, the response is a tautology. It is well known that Walmart won’t carry certain books or records that it feels don’t meet it’s moral standards (or require special editions). Stores shouldn’t be required to carry items that don’t fit their business model, but in the case where they are the dominant supplier in a region the ability of people to get what they need also become a factor.
there are a number of problems here:
first is; CHOICE means not choice but ABORTION
second; where does the goverment get off telling a business what they
need to carry. I can’t buy my brand of shaving cream at Wal-
Mart. can i get that S.O.B. lawyer to sue them for me too.
third; S.O.B. lawyers are the curse in the U.S.A. and the aclu is the
U.S.A. cesspool of lawyers.
Shalom Joseph,
No, choice means choice. A woman has control of her body and her health and may make the choice of whether or not to carry a fetus to term.
Second, we’re not talking about shaving cream, we’re talking about legal medications. Imagine for a minute if Wal Mart were owned by Tom Cruise who believes that medicines like Prozac ought not to be prescribed. Would you be OK if he issued the order that those drugs would not be carried in his pharmacies? And if a person who needed that medication lost their life, would you say that that was their problem and not the problem of Wal Mart or the moral position of its owners?
Third, lawyers are always on the outs until you need one. If you are ever the target of a false charge or lawsuit, I hope you’re able to find competent legal council to represent you.
B’shalom,
Jeff Hess
Everyone seems to be missing the point on this whole issue and its scary to me that we are. Choice means choice. This is america. No matter how you feel about the pill by ordering wall mart to carry it its just one more little piece of freedom that is sliping away from this country.
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