Partial victory for pro-life pharmacist.

Calgary -- A Calgary pharmacist who refused to fill a prescription for birth-control pills has reached an agreement with the Alberta College of Pharmacists that will allow her to avoid dealing with reproductive health products she finds morally objectionable, particularly abortifacients.

The agreement ends a costly four-year legal battle for Maria Bizecki, a pharmacist with the Co-op chain of stores. Local pro-abortion groups complained about her stance to her employer and to the college. Ms. Bizecki was thereupon suspended with pay for over a year and subjected to a review by the college.

According to Ms. Bizecki's lawyer, Gerald Chipeur, the accommodation which she has reached with her employer will allow the public to exercise choice with respect to health care services without requiring her to give up her choice to follow the commandments of God and her Church. In practice, the accommodation works by having her take and fill only non-objectionable prescriptions from a basket. (She now works in a pharmacy where prescriptions are taken in by a technician and left in the basket).

While Maria Bizecki believes the new agreement is a victory, Michael Izzotti of Pharmacists for Life Canada has some reservations. Izzotti welcomes the precedent set, but he believes that as with most "conscience clauses" (notably that in Saskatchewan), this agreement continues to violate the conscience rights of pro-life pharmacists by making them ensure, even as they "step back", that the customer continues to be provided with the objectionable service (Lifesite News, Nov 4/03).