CVS, Walgreens and the panty-sniffing pervs in the pharmacy dept.

The main impact of the Republican drive to outlaw abortion will land on girls and women who want an abortion but can’t get one.

But as with any attack on individual rights, outlawing abortion means there’s plenty of life-endangering bullshit left for girls and women who aren’t pregnant. And plenty of perverts just rarin’ to join the Volunteer Lady Parts Restriction Brigade.

That’s why panty-sniffing perverts in pharmacy departments around the nation felt empowered to deny prescriptions to women who:

1. Were trying to avoid getting pregnant.
2. Need treatment for a miscarriage.
3. Have conditions that have nothing to do with pregnancy, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Last month, HHS intervened in the complaints against CVS and Walgreens and delivered a distressingly light tap on the wrist.

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced steps voluntarily taken by CVS and Walgreens to improve timely access to medications to support persons with disabilities, women experiencing miscarriages and early pregnancy loss, and those seeking access to contraceptives. OCR received complaints against pharmacies for denying and delaying lawful access to medications, such as methotrexate and misoprostol. Other women filed complaints based on delays in accessing emergency contraceptives. None of the medications were prescribed in violation of State laws banning or restricting abortion or were for the purpose of abortion. All of the medications reported in the complaints were prescribed to women who were experiencing pregnancy loss, have disabilities, or were seeking access to contraceptives. In the aggregate, the complaints alleged that the pharmacies had delayed or denied filling prescriptions to treat conditions unrelated to abortion, due to the gender or age of the woman who was prescribed the medication. Since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, women across the country have reported delays in accessing medication for purposes unrelated to abortion. OCR’s action today resolves the complaints against CVS and Walgreens.

[…]

OCR provided technical assistance to CVS and Walgreens to ensure women, including women with disabilities, receive timely access to lawfully prescribed medications. As a result, the pharmacies implemented new processes to promote access to medication by preventing potential delays. Process improvements made as result of OCR’s technical assistance include but are not limited to multiple actions.

HHS blamed Dobbs for confusing pharmacists. Like pharmacists have never used fetus fetishism as an excuse to deny women prescription medicine. Ugh.

It’s sure to be happening in pharmacies around the country and it’s extremely dangerous. There’s literally no limit to what some asshole might decide not to give to someone who might be pregnant.

Cast your mind back five seconds ago to when health care professionals were saying dangerously ridonkulous nonsense about COVID-19. Now add the fact that claiming to believe dangerously ridonkulous nonsense gives people the ability to harass and endanger all girls and women, certain groups of girls of women or just one girl or woman the pharmacist doesn’t like for whatever reason.

But I’m struggling in particular to fathom how fucking pissed I’d be if I’d wanted to be pregnant, had gotten pregnant, lost the pregnancy and then had some po-faced fuck tell me I can’t have the medicine I need to manage the miscarriage because I might use it to abort my baby.

People who post off-topic comments are rambunctious jackholes.