response 119 of 526:

Feb 23 20:47 UTC 2006

Pharmacists should be expected to provide any drug that has been cleared 
by the FDA for sale with a legal prescription. Their only concern should 
be possible drug interactions, as already determined, in which case they 
should only ask for a second opinion from a doctor. Pharamacits are not 
licensed to be keepers of personal moralities. They can do that on their 
own time.

response 121 of 526:

Feb 23 21:39 UTC 2006

I think that we should look at the problem that we are actually trying 
to solve and then think about the consequences of any actions. I do not 
think it is a good idea to require every pharmacy in the world to stock 
every drug that has been approved for sale by the FDA. There are a lot 
of expensive drugs out there and some of those have very little demand. 
Requiring such could discourage pharmacies from opening meaning fewer 
of them. Also the costs of stocking all those drugs would be passed on 
to consumers. Not really what was intended. 
 
A better law would require pharmacies to stock particular drugs such as 
Plan B or oral contraceptives or whatever else people think isnt 
available because of moral objections of pharmacists. 

response 123 of 526:

Feb 24 03:23 UTC 2006

While I dont have an objection to having a requirement that pharmacies
order drugs for customers who come in with a Rx, I dont think that would
be helpful with a drug like Plan B. It is my understanding that it needs
to be taken quickly. But perhaps that particular drug could be one that
a pharmacy is required to keep onhand. 

response 125 of 526:

Feb 24 11:52 UTC 2006

Why doesn't the government simply nationalize all of the pharmacies in 
the US and run them like the post office (or FEMA)?

response 127 of 526:

Feb 24 15:36 UTC 2006

resp:124 If I needed a prescription for a drug like Plan B, I could get 
one within an hour. But you do have a point. Not everyone has the same 
access to health care that I do. Personally, I think it should be an 
OTC medication. 

response 129 of 526:

Feb 24 17:44 UTC 2006

Re 126  Alas, with many insurances, you can only get BCP monthly or tri-montly
(via mail order, if you have it).  Nice sentiment, though.

response 131 of 526:

Feb 24 19:28 UTC 2006

That is a funny comparison.  Am I the only one that doesn't feel shame for
eating at Hooters?

response 133 of 526:

Feb 24 20:12 UTC 2006

Well, I mean..really, c'mon.  Why is it that half the time the prolifer crowd
is also the pro-gun lobby?  I get the sense that these are a bunch of white
guys who had a pretty bland and discouraging dating life and now have
manifested this low point of their life into some kind of control freak
crusade against women.  The guns are probably making up for not much of a
sexlife by feeding their fantasies of Wild West violence, too.  

response 135 of 526:

Feb 24 20:43 UTC 2006

resp:130 No one is talking about making convenience stores stock Plan B 
either. We are talking about pharmacies. They are different because 
they require a license. Now, there might be a case where licensed fire-
arm dealers should be required to stock some certain kind of 
controversial gun but I dont know enough about guns to know if such an 
analogy is possible. 

response 137 of 526:

Feb 24 21:01 UTC 2006

re resp:134: Isn't RU486 the same as "EC" and whatever other names it's 
been called?  Morning after pill, etc?  If it's not a type of that sort 
of thing, then substitute another name.  That's what I meant.

re resp:133: I don't own any guns, and never have.  I will get a .22 
for my son when he turns 12, and take him to the conservation club to 
teach him how to use it.  My wife is a rabid anti-gun person (and also 
anti-abortion if you care).  Her son has a gun at his father's house, 
but the kids aren't allowed to have or use them when they are with her.

response 139 of 526:

Feb 24 21:19 UTC 2006

No, RU486 is not the same as EC.

Emergency Contraception (EC) is anything that can prevent pregnancy after
unprotected vaginal intercourse.  The most common form is to take what
amounts to a stronger-than-normal version of birth control pills; one
popular brand name of such a pill is "Plan B" and they are sometimes
generically referred to as a "morning after pill."  Taking such a pill
will reduce the risk of pregnancy substantially if taken within 72 hours,
but if you're already pregnant then it won't do anything.  It's
essentially the same thing as regular birth control pills but taken
after the fact.  This makes it less effective, but I don't see how it's
any more objectionable morally (though some people do have moral
problems with birth control pills.)

RU486 is a completely different drug.  It has a variety of uses, one of
which is inducing an abortion in the first couple months of pregnancy.
It does not have a critical 72 hour window or anything like that, and
usually it's something that wouldn't be considered until the woman
discovers she's pregnant.  It's sometimes called the "abortion pill."

response 141 of 526:

Feb 24 21:35 UTC 2006

I say that if a pharmacy carries viagra then it should carry EC

response 143 of 526:

Feb 24 21:53 UTC 2006

resp:141 - I agree.