Sarah Ackman Professor McGriff Argument-Persuasion Essay 26 March 2014

Refusing Birth Control Because of Beliefs

When walking into a doctors office, you expect the doctors to give you the treatment you need right? Well, that doesnt happen all the time. Doctors have the right to refuse giving you any treatment because of their personal beliefs. Hospitals are able to support this policy and not give you the treatment either. Birth control on the other hand, has been around for many years to prevent pregnancy. Doctors everyday are now refusing to give birth control out due to their beliefs. If you walked in and wanted to get on birth control, but was refused it because of the doctors beliefs, what would you think? Is that right or no? There were many instances that happened where women wanted to get birth control, but were denied it. I do not think thats right, we have the right to be on birth control. If woman dont want a child at the moment, we should not have to be cautious at what were doing and denied birth control because of a doctors religious belief because its a womens right, its their job to give us the prescriptions, and its for protection, not abortion. In my opinion, I do not think it is right to deny giving birth control to women and because of a religious belief. Dont get me wrong, I completely respect doctors and hospitals because of the fact they barely sleep, and always on their toes for us patients, but if a doctor has a religious belief and not okay giving out a certain prescription, that specific area is not the right one to work in. There are also plenty of high school teenagers that are going to have sex

regardless of how their parents feel about it. It is safer for them to be on birth control then for them to become pregnant. It is not a go have sex with anyone permission slip, it just helps to keep kids from having kids that they cannot take care of. There is all different kinds of birth control like the pill, the shot, the vaginal ring and the skin patch. These are just to prevent pregnancy, they are not abortion medicines as some doctors believe in. Doctors made a promise when they first went into the medical field, to take care of the sick in any way they can. Refusing to give out any certain prescription is not fulfilling that promise and also mixing their personal beliefs with their professional job. There are many instances where women are being denied birth control because of a doctors religious belief. Julie Lacey, 33, mother of two went into a drugstore to get a prescription refill. She has been going there for year now. She asked for her refill and the pharmacist says I personally dont believe in birth control and therefore and Im not going to fill your prescription. Another woman, Melissa Kelleys gynecologist also refused to give her the pill because of his beliefs. (Bollinger) Now these two woman have been denied because these doctors have a strong belief that any type of birth control is abortion. Birth control is not only used to prevent pregnancy but also to reduce ovarian cancer, take acne away, and regulate periods and hormones. There is another form of Birth control that is called the Emergency Contraception that is also being refused to give to women. Now emergency Contraception is only to be used to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of unprotected sex and works within 24-48 hours. I feel women should be able to use this if they feel they should, its their right. Others are saying this is a form of abortion. In Washington State, Midwife connection says : Here in WA State, a prescription refusal
issue is working its way through the legal system. Many people are calling it Refuse and Refer claiming

that it is appropriate for a pharmacy or a pharmacist to refuse to fill prescriptions to which they object on religious or moral grounds, and refer clients elsewhere. A few claim they should be able to refuse with no responsibility to refer at all Others have stated that giving emergency

contraception to a women is murdering a human to pharmacists and should not be forced on anyone. I understand doctors and pharmacists have their own religious beliefs and im all for it, but when it comes to your job and other peoples health, that promise you made should be kept. Your religious beliefs should not interfere with your work. Birth control is being said that its like abortion medicine. The anti-abortion group Pharmacists for life International say Our job is to enhance life. The president of the group whom was the first to refuse giving out birth control in 1989 states We shouldnt have to dispense a medication that we think takes lives. Many have argued when the egg is first fertilized and when pregnancy really does begin. It can't be an abortion before there is a pregnancy," points out David Grimes, MD, a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology. In conclusion, many believe Birth control is abortion, others believe we have the right to have birth control. Doctors should not deny that right to us. We should start calling doctors and see what their beliefs are before we go see them. Our bodies should be based on our decisions, not a doctors religious decision. Its not right to see women not be able to make their own choices and a belief be forced on them when woman shouldnt have to worry about that seeing a doctor. Women shouldnt have to honor their beliefs by being denied a very common treatment.

Works Cited

Bollinger, Carolyn. Access Denied: Find out why growing numbers of doctors and pharmacists across the US are refusing to prescribe or dispense birth control pills Prevention 150(2004) Academic OneFile. Web. 26 March 2014. Newman, Annie. Refusing to Provide Contraception to Women: Whose right is it anyways? rhrealitycheck.org. (2009) Web. 25 March 2014. McLeod, Carolyn. Harm or Mere Inconvenience? Denying Women Emergency Contraception.pubmedcentralcanada.ca/pmc. PubMed Central Canada, 1 Jan.2011. Web. 3 Oct.2012. Hymowitz, Kay S. "Tweens: Ten Going on Sixteen." The Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, and Research Guide. By Judith Nadell, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. Eighth Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 212-16. Print. Stoll, Clifford. "Cyber School." The Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, and Research Guide. By Judith Nadell, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. Eighth Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 282-84.Print.