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We'll be posting more on this subject later, but for now we wanted to share a few thoughts on the effort underway in some states to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control or the "morning after" pill due to "personal objections".

While this effort is being described as a matter of "freedom of choice" for pharmacists, let's be clear about it: it would in fact create a new right where one does not now exist, giving pharmacists the right to refuse to dispense prescriptions written by a doctor.

Understand clearly what this means: it means for the first time pharmacists will have input and discretion in matters between doctors and patients.

Does anyone think that's a good idea?

Bad as that is, there's a more malevolent side to this. The extreme elements of the right-to-life movement frequently employ bullying and other mob-rule tactics in their efforts to limit choice and access to reproductive health care. If the decision to dispense birth control becomes a matter of discretion for pharmacists these extremist elements will be able to use intimidation against pharmacies to force them to exercise that discretion and not fill the prescriptions.

Right now they can't do that because pharmacists have no discretion when it comes to filling prescriptions--which is as it should be.

Make no mistake: this is all part of the greater effort to use fear and intimidation to force the whole country to follow the values of an extremist minority.