The Post Dispatch is reporting that one of the four Walgreens pharmacists suspended for refusing to fill a “morning after” subscription has been reinstated after agreeing to follow state law.
One of the pharmacists signed a document last week agreeing to follow the state rule and returned to work on Monday, Walgreen spokesman Michael Polzin said.
I had previously heard that Illinois had a “law” that required the filling of these prescriptions. This article says that it is a state “rule”. I would normally assume this was an agency regulation but the article specifically states it was “a state rule first imposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in April.”
The state rule requires that Illinois pharmacies sell contraceptives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control such as the morning-after pill.
But, in any event, a challenge to the law/reg/rule is on its way with respect to at least the three remaining pharmacists:
Frank Manion, an attorney representing the pharmacists, said he expects to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and will refile a lawsuit that challenges the legality of the rule.
It’s unclear if the “document” the reinstated pharmacist signed contained a release or if that pharmacist would also be part of the suit.
