Washington, DC- The House Small Business Committee held a hearing today to explore the issue of pharmacists who refuse to fill valid, legal prescriptions for birth control. Members of the committee heard testimony from, among others, an Illinois pharmacy owner and a woman who experienced first hand a pharmacist’s refusal.

During the hearing, two of the committee members took the opportunity to lecture the witness who’d experienced a refusal. Anti-choice Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told a witness, who had been denied birth control and emergency contraception by her pharmacist, that she had no "right" to her prescriptions - she only believed she did. Anti-choice Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) told the witness that her "minor inconvenience" – that is, risking an unintended pregnancy – was nothing compared to the "conscience" of a pharmacist.

Speaking on behalf of a growing movement of pharmacies that refuses to honor birth-control prescriptions, an Illinois pharmacist, Luke Vander Bleek, testified that he demands the right to refuse to fill any prescription he finds objectionable. Under questioning from pro-choice committee members, Vander Bleek admitted that his argument, taken to its logical conclusion, could mean that a Christian Scientist pharmacist who opposes dispensing any medication also deserves legal protection. As pro-choice Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) pointed out, this view runs contrary to the Supreme Court, American Medical Association policy, and the vast majority of the American public.

"I am amazed that anti-choice members of Congress are supporting and encouraging pharmacists who think their personal beliefs should override a doctor’s prescription," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "Americans want Congress to protect and improve their access to health care – not dismantle it piece by piece. Women should be able to walk into a pharmacy with a legal prescription and walk out with the medication. It’s that simple. If the same anti-choice House members pursue legislation to block women’s access to birth control, they will face strong opposition from mainstream Americans."

Recent polling shows 80 percent of Americans oppose allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill women’s prescriptions for birth control. Even 74 percent of self-described "pro-life" voters oppose these refusals.