Drug wars

State senator Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) and state representative Tom Emmer (R-Delano) have introduced legislation that would make it legal for Minnesota pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions on moral grounds. While the proposed law does not specify any particular drug, it's obviously aimed at emergency contraception, the so-called morning after pill.

The issue has become increasingly contentious in recent years. In Illinois, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune last month, five Walgreen's pharmacists have been suspended for refusing to fill such prescriptions. Wal-Mart is being sued in Massachusetts for failing to stock the pills.

Other states, including South Dakota, have already adopted measures similar to the one proposed in Minnesota. Conversely eight states have passed laws allowing the pills to be sold without a prescription.

Here's the entirety of the proposed Minnesota law:

Section 1. [151.221] PHARMACIST CONSCIENCE CLAUSE. A licensed pharmacist may refuse to procure, store, distribute, or dispense any medication the pharmacist considers to be morally objectionable.