The revise code of Washington (RCW) lists a number of qualifications for becoming a pharmacist in the state. Among those requirements you'll find this:
"Has satisfied the board [of Pharmacy] that he or she is of good moral and professional character, that he or she will carry out the duties and responsibilities required of a pharmacist ..."
Note that will carry out the duties and responsibilities. And what exactly are those?
That's the crux of a big debate Friday in Kent, Washington, which as the Seattle Times noted, "was supposed to be a simple informational meeting about whether to allow pharmacists to deny medication based on their moral or religious convictions. But more than 100 people showed up at a state Pharmacy Board meeting in Kent on Friday to speak emotionally about highly charged social issues — from abortion to gender discrimination and even assisted suicide." (more…)