Office Professional Plus 2007 Key Washington state

Olympia, Wash., Jul 8, 2010 / 08:20 pm (CNA).- In a major reversal of their previous position,Office 2010 Professional, attorneys for the state of Washington have acknowledged the right of local pharmacies not to stock or dispense the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B.

On July 7, the state's attorneys told a federal judge that the Washington State Board of Pharmacy would begin revising its rules, to allow pharmacies to act on their conscientious objections to the controversial drug.

The state attorneys' new position may signal an end to a legal battle between the State Board of Pharmacy and owners of the local drugstore Ralph's Thriftway.

In 2006, the board initially granted all pharmacies the right not to stock or prescribe medications to which they objected on religious or moral grounds. However, the board later changed these rules after publicly coming under fire from Washington's governor,Office 2010 Keygen, Christine Gregoire.

The subsequent change in policy attempted to force pharmacies to stock and dispense Plan B or other drugs regardless of religious or moral objections, prompting a legal challenge from Ralph's Thriftway. Its owners sued the state of Washington in 2007, asserting that their right to refuse to sell Plan B,Office Professional Plus 2007 Key, in accordance with the state's original rules,Office 2007 Keygen, was a matter of religious freedom.

In 2009, a federal judge sided with the store's owners, but had his ruling struck down on appeal.

On Wednesday, however, the board's lawyers acknowledged that pharmacies with religious or moral objections could refer those seeking Plan B to another drugstore, without interfering with patients' “timely access” to a “lawfully-prescribed medication.”

Eric Rassbach,Office 2010 Pro Plus Key, the National Director of Litigation for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the firm representing Ralph's Thriftway, interpreted the reversal as "a clear signal to Governor Christine Gregoire that her bullying tactics are not acceptable."

"First," Rassbach reported, "she threatened to fire the members of the State Board of Pharmacy if they did not agree with her; then, she tried to pressure the pharmacy by joining a boycott against Ralph's Thriftway.”

"It may come as a surprise to her, but conscientious and principled people like the owners and pharmacists of Ralph's Thriftway are the backbone of this country," he said.

Also commenting on the case was Luke Goodrich, legal counsel at The Becket Fund, who stated, "The government should accommodate and protect the fundamental rights of all members of the medical profession, not punish some members because of their religious beliefs.”

Attorneys for Ralph's Thriftway agreed to postpone the case from going to trial, while the pharmacy board considers the revisions to its rules.

Thanks for your comments. The number of messages that can be online is limited. Length should not exceed 1500 characters. CNA reserves the right to edit messages for content and tone. Comments and opinions expressed by users do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of CNA. CNA will not publish comments with abusive language, insults or links to other pages
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
ADVERTISING
CNA does not necessarily endorse these advertisers. Please proceed with discretion. If you feel that a website announced has inappropriate or offensive content, please send it by e-mail to catholicna@catholicna.com

07:28 pm | Pope’s new book debuts on NY Times Bestseller list

04:09 pm | Faith and science support defense of the unborn, states Argentinean archbishop

03:39 pm | Fighting in Ivory Coast could drag country into civil war

12:54 pm | Peru court upholds presence of crucifix in public places

09:34 am | Electrician sparks life commitment by turning down abortion clinic job