House rejects pharmacists’ protection on morning after pill

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – The House has rejected an attempt to provide legal protection for pharmacists who refuse to prescribe the “morning-after” pill for emergency contraception.

The bill would have granted immunity from lawsuits to pharmacists who refused to dispense the pill. A New Hampshire law that took effect last year allows specially trained pharmacists to write prescriptions for emergency contraception themselves, so women don’t have to make a separate trip to a doctor’s office.

The bill was defeated Thursday, 215-106. Supporters of the measure said it would protect pharmacists who have a moral or religious objection to emergency contraception. Opponents noted that the pharmacists’ training program was voluntary and said the immunity bill would complicate the new law.

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Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com

AP-ES-03-10-06 0806EST