HB 2884, the "Pharmacists are smarter than doctors" bill

A friend of mine alerted me that HB 2884 has passed committee in the Oklahoma House. The bill would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions based on "religious or moral convictions." Here's the letter I wrote to my state representative, Lucky Lamons (a Democrat).

Dear Rep. Laymons,

I'm sure you're aware of HB 2884 that just passed committee. This is a terrible bill that will give pharmacists license to overrule doctors in deciding what prescriptions to fill and not to fill. This bill will not only affect women seeking birth control or the so-called "morning after pill," but it may even affect drugs for depression, anxiety, ADHD, or any other drug to which an overzealous pharmacist might have an objection.

I urge you to oppose this bad bill. Doctors are the ones who should have the final say over what their patients should and shouldn't take. The role of a pharmacist is to dispense prescriptions, and it is a pharmacist's moral obligation to carry out the directives of the doctors that do the prescribing. A pharmacist's personal or religious convictions have nothing to do with the science that goes into prescribing medicines, and thus any such objections that a pharmacist might have are irrelevant.

Thank you for your consideration.