Irish pharmacists must sell the 'Morning-After pill', also called 'Emergency Birth Control', or risk falling foul of the pharmacists' Code of Conduct.
According to studies, the Morning-After pill can act as an abortifacient by preventing the implantation of a fertilised ovum in the womb.
Last week The Irish Medicines Board approved the sale of a new type of Morning-After pill called Norlevo over the counter without the need for a doctor's prescription.
Must stock
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) has confirmed to The Irish Catholic that under their Code of Conduct, pharmacists must stock the Morning-After pill or ''take reasonable action to ensure these medicines or services are provided''.
No allowance is made for conscientious objection by Catholic or other pharmacists who have an ethical difficulty selling the medication.
The PSI said that if a pharmacy did not have a supply of the Morning-After pill in stock at a given point in time they would have to refer a customer to another pharmacy.
With regard to the absence of a provision for conscientious objection, the PSI told The Irish Catholic, ''the Code is as it stands''.
Principle One of the Code of Conduct states: ''The practice by a pharmacist of his/her profession must be directed to maintaining and improving the health, wellbeing, care and safety of the patient. This is the primary principle and the following principles must be read in light of this principle.''
Reasonable
Interpreting Principle One, the guide to the Code says pharmacists must ''ensure that in instances where they are unable to provide prescribed medicines or pharmacy services to a patient they must take reasonable action to ensure these medicines/services are provided and the patient's care is not jeopardised''.
This is the interpretation to which the PSI referred The Irish Catholic when asked whether pharmacists must sell the Morning-After pill regarding of any possible ethical objections.
A spokesperson for the PSI stated: ''The Pharmacy Act (2007) obliges pharmacists to practise under this code which places the health, wellbeing, care and safety of patients as their primary concern.''
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