NARAL PRO-CHOICE ARIZONA ASKS K-MART TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST PHARMACIST MANAGER WHO COUNSELED LYING ABOUT AVAILABILITY OF BIRTH CONTROL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 26, 2005 Phoenix, AZ – NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona is asking Kmart what it will do in response since a pharmacy manager at its Tolleson store advised other pharmacists to refuse to fill women's prescriptions for birth control. The pharmacy manager wrote in an April 15 letter to the Arizona Republic that “The pharmacist should just tell the patient that he is out of the medication and can order it, but it will take a week to get here. The patient will be forced to go to another pharmacy because she has to take these medicines within 72 hours for them to be effective.” (Dan Gransinger, Tolleson Kmart, April 15, 2005) NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona sent a letter to Kmart officials, demanding that appropriate action be taken against the pharmacy manager, and that K-Mart issue a public statement assuring its customers that their health care needs will be met. K-mart has been given until April 28th to respond. "Mr. Gransinger's statement demonstrates a complete lack of concern for the health of his customers, as well as a blatant disregard for the law," said NARAL Pro-Choice Arizona State Coordinator Heather Terrell. "Customers of
K-Mart should trust that they are receiving truthful and honest information when they take their prescriptions in to be filled, and Mr. Gransinger has violated that trust. The fact that this statement was made by a pharmacy manager is simply outrageous and intolerable." Ms. Terrell continued: “For many women, being forced to go to another pharmacy is a terrible burden, especially for those that are poor or live in rural areas. It’s ridiculous that, rather than helping to prevent unintended pregnancies, people like this are seeking to make access to birth control more and more difficult. It is our hope that K-mart will take appropriate action in this matter, and guarantee that their pharmacists will observe the highest ethical standards.” # # # Contact: Heather Terrell at (480) 834-3274.
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