Michigan Woman Says Pharmacist Refused to Give Her Miscarriage Meds

A Michigan woman says a pharmacist refused to fill her prescription for a drug that would complete her miscarriage because he was a “good Catholic male,” the Detroit Free Press reports. Rachel Peterson, 35, said a pharmacist at a Meijer store thought she was lying when she told him why she needed misoprostol, a drug that can also be used to induce an abortion if combined with another medication. “He said that he was a good Catholic male and that he couldn’t in good conscience give me this medication because it’s used for abortions, and he could not prescribe that,” Peterson told the newspaper. “When I divulged to him that the fetus was no longer viable, and that... I needed to progress the situation further, he said, ‘Well, that’s your word and I don’t believe you,’ and he refused to fill it.” 

The pharmacist also allegedly refused to transfer the prescription to another location, forcing Peterson to drive to another Meijer store to pick up her medication. Peterson was prescribed misoprostol because her miscarriage was taking longer than expected, she said. If a woman doesn’t completely miscarry, there is a risk of developing a potentially fatal infection called sepsis. Meijer spokeswoman Christina Fecher told the newspaper the pharmacist had the right to refuse to fill the prescription on religious grounds, but said he is mandated to give the prescription to another pharmacist or another store. Fecher did not say whether the pharmacist was reprimanded for the incident.