Woman Denied Miscarriage Pills At Walgreens in Arizona

A pharmacist denied this woman pills she needed for her miscarriage.

Nicole Arteaga was prescribed misoprostol, a pill that ends pregnancy, after a doctor found there was no fetal heartbeat and her nine-week pregnancy would end in a miscarriage. But when she tried to fill her prescription, she was denied the pills because of pharmacist’s “ethical beliefs.”

“I stood at the mercy of his pharmacist explaining my situation in front of my seven-year-old, and five customers standing behind only to be denied because of his ethical beliefs,” she stated in a post on Facebook. “I left Walgreens in tears, ashamed and feeling humiliated by a man who knows nothing of my struggles by feels it is his right to deny medication prescribed to me by my doctor.”

Arteaga, who is from Peoria, Arizona, says she later received an email that her prescription was ready in another part of town and she was able to pick it up without a problem.

Walgreens issued a statement saying they’ve apologized to Arteaga, but added that the pharmacist acted within his rights, as their policy says pharmacists can choose not to fill a prescription if they have a “moral objection.” Arizona is also one of the six states that permit presumption refusals. However, providers are required to refer the patient to another pharmacist.

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