Quebec woman upset after pharmacist denies her morning-after pill due to his religious beliefs
CBC
A young woman from Saguenay, Que., says she left a local pharmacy feeling shamed after a pharmacist refused to sell her emergency oral contraception, better known as the morning-after pill, because it went against his religious beliefs.
"I felt bad, I felt really judged," said the 24-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.
The woman said the pharmacist told her prescribing her the pill "was not in his values" and told her to either go to another store or wait around for another pharmacist to show up who could prescribe it to her.
"I was a bit flabbergasted, I didn't know what to say," the woman said of her experience at the Jean Coutu pharmacy in the borough of Chicoutimi.
She finally got access to the pill by going to another nearby pharmacy, but two days after the event, the woman said she's still recovering from the emotional distress it caused her.
For maximum effectiveness, the emergency oral contraception pill should be taken 12 to 24 hours after intercourse, according to Familiprix, a Canadian group of independent pharmacists.
The woman said she told the pharmacist that her situation was time sensitive and that she needed to take the pill that day, but "he wouldn't do anything for me."
She said she was lucky her employer allowed her to take some time off to wait for service at another pharmacy where she finally received the medication.
The pharmacist in question declined Radio-Canada's request for an interview, but he acknowledged that this was not the first time he has refused to provide this service.
In a statement to CBC Montreal, Jean Coutu Group said while it recognizes the right of women to have access to the professional services they want, "the Charter of Rights and Freedoms allows a professional to refuse to perform an act that would go against his or her values."
According to Quebec's Order of Pharmacists (OPQ), in these cases, the pharmacist is obliged to refer the patient to another pharmacist who can provide them this service.
In the case where the pharmacy is located in a remote area where the patient does not have the possibility of being referred elsewhere, the pharmacist has a legal obligation to ensure the patient gets the pill.
The OPQ said that while it cannot speak about this young woman's specific case, "one thing is certain, in such a situation, the patient must not feel judged and must be taken care of by the professional, even if they do not personally provide the service."
The OPQ said patients can always file a complaint with its investigations department if they believe a pharmacist had committed a fault.
Aggressive patients and lack of security are making nurses feel unsafe in a rural Western Manitoba emergency union, says the Manitoba Nurses Union.
Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence:
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.