Here’s an interesting and concerning post from the Pharyngula blog about a pharmacy here in Grand Rapids, MI. Should people be obligated by law or otherwise to engage in activities that violate their morals in the course of employment—especially if they own the company? What is the appropriate balance between personal liberties and the best interest of society?

Source: Pharyngula
 
Category: Reproduction
Posted on: September 15, 2008 4:35 PM, by PZ Myers

I get all kinds of personal requests — requests to flog someone’s blog, links to articles people think are really neat, that kind of thing. I don’t mind at all. If you think I’d be interested, go ahead, drop me a line. But, you know, I would appreciate it if you at least had the courtesy to actually look at my interests and send me stuff I might like, instead of random spam.

Mike Koelzer did not have those kinds of manners. Mike Koelzer really screwed up. This is the email Mike Koelzer sent me.

  My name is Mike Koelzer and I am the owner of Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  I thought you might be interested in seeing the recent coverage on ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson of our pharmacy’s policy to not sell contraceptives. You will find the link to the ABC video at http://www.prolifepharmacy.com.

  Ours is a very important story on the abortifacient properties of birth control pills and why we no longer carry them in our third-generation, family-owned pharmacy.

  I would enjoy speaking at your church or your organization’s conference or other event. I also would be honored to have you share my apostolate in your blog etc. To learn more about my apostolate, please see http://www.prolifepharmacy.com

Mike Koelzer is very proud of his ignorance and his priggish desire to control the sexual behavior of his customers; I think Mike Koelzer is a contemptible, sanctimonious ass, and I hope he goes out of business. Please, if you live in Grand Rapids, boycott Kay Pharmacy. If Mike Koelzer comes to your town to speak in some demented fundagelical church, feel free to picket and protest, and feel free to attend and grill him with difficult questions.

If Mike Koelzer is not comfortable fulfilling his responsibilities as a pharmacist, he should seek some other line of work.

Remember Mike Koelzer, though. This is what they want. They aren’t going to stop with simply limiting access to abortions: next they’ll be eliminating all family planning options.

I work have worked in healthcare for 11 years now and am currently in nursing school.  I don’t see any issue with this, but because it is birth control it is a hot topic.  If Home Depot doesn’t carry a certain type of light bulb there isn’t outcry about that, because maybe Lowe’s does.  Pharmacies do not and cannot carry every medication on the self.  There wouldn’t be enough room.  As the pharmacy owner or manager he can carry want drugs he wants.  It just means he’ll be loosing business to those patients who are looking to fill that prescription.

NB: there is a discussion of this general issue in the recent thread about Ron Lindsay’s appearance on Point of Inquiry. I believe it begins with post #8.