Rural Minn. woman sues after two pharmacists refuse to fill morning-after pill prescription because of religious beliefs

McGregor in Aitkin County (Wikipedia)

A rural Minnesota woman has filed suit after two pharmacists refused to sell her emergency contraception because of their religious beliefs. She says the issue highlights how religious-objection rules hurt rural women, Katie Shepherd reports for The Washington Post.

Andrew Anderson, 39, lives in McGregor, a town of about 400 people. She and her longtime partner have one biological child and four adopted or foster children. When their condom broke in January 2019, Anderson called her gynecologist the next morning and received a prescription for Ella, an emergency contraceptive. The prescription was sent to Thrifty White Pharmacy, the only one in McGregor.

The pharmacist at Thrifty White, George Badeaux, refused to fill Anderson's prescription because he said it would be against his religious beliefs. Badeaux, who is also a pastor at a nearby church, advised her not to go to a nearby pharmacy because the employees there would also probably refuse to fill the prescription, Shepherd reports.

"Anderson did not give up. She drove about 20 miles to a CVS pharmacy in a neighboring town, where another pharmacist declined to fill her prescription," Shepherd writes. "Anderson said that pharmacist, who is not named in the suit, told her the pharmacy did not have Ella in stock and could not get it from a wholesale provider in time for her to take the pill, which must be taken within five days of unprotected sex.

Anderson said the CVS pharmacist called a Walgreens in Brainerd, more than 50 miles from her home, and told her that it didn't have the pill. However, when Anderson called the Walgreens herself, the pharmacist there confirmed that the CVS pharmacist had just called, and said the store did have Ella in stock and would be happy to fill her prescription the next day, Shepherd reports. She and her young son made a three-hour round trip in a blizzard to fill the prescription, he writes.

Anderson sued Badeaux, Thrifty White, and the unnamed CVS pharmacist who refused to fill her prescription and misinformed her about its availability at the Brainerd Walgreens. She notes in her lawsuit that, though Minnesota allows pharmacists to refuse to fill emergency contraception prescriptions because of personal beliefs, the law requires the objecting pharmacist to help the patient find another way to fill the prescription, and neither pharmacist did that, Shepherd reports.

"The lawsuit argues that refusing to provide women access to the morning-after pill is a form of sex discrimination and violates people’s civil rights," Shepherd reports. "Anderson said she believes rural women are particularly at risk to have their medical needs overshadowed by a pharmacist’s personal beliefs because there are so few places to buy medication."