Instructions
This challenge paper is intended to take you on a bit of a roller coaster ride. Accordingly, please follow the instructions and undertake the four pieces in order (i.e., write the first part, then follow the instructions and write the second part, etc.).
1. First, read the two articles about religious rights and pharmacists/medical coverage. Write approximately a one-page reaction to this article. While the goal is to be analytical, please also describe your position: what do you think the limits on employee's rights should be in this case?
2. "Ask" a natural language processor (e.g., chat GPT) to write a persuasive essay from the OPPOSITE perspective of your own (you do not need to reproduce it here). Now, write approximately one page summarizing its arguments and what you do/don't find convincing about them. Note any feelings or additional thoughts that emerge in reaction to what it produces. Does it make any points that make you reconsider exceptions to your own perspective?
3. "Ask" the natural language processor to review your "part 1" of this assignment for examples of Haidt's moral foundations. Spend one page discussing what it reveals, and whether you agree or not.
4. WITHOUT using the NLP, write one final page discussing the potential advantages and disadvantages to society, if organizations seek to allow for personal belief accommodations for their employees, beyond what is required by law.
Submission Details
All challenge papers should be approximately 4-5 double-spaced pages in length. Please cite all references consistently (format of your choosing, as long as it is consistent).
Article1(Attached file)
What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy, refuses to fill your birth control
Article2
https:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/notre-dame-switches-its-position-on-contraception-coverage-again/552605
4/4/23, 7:15 AM What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy, refuses to fill your birth control - Reader Mode
chrome-distiller:
f403aef0-ca2d-4eaa-aa1d-c321a6bafb6b_6bd574901db0850f55e8e0dc5670666e915aec009f9bd6cdd06f451170b1dc9c/?title=Birth+… 1/4
What to do if CVS, the nation's largest
pharmacy, refuses to �ll your birth control
People who have had their birth control prescriptions or condom
purchases denied by large pharmacies continue to �ood social media
with their stories under the hashtags #BoycottWalgreens and
##CVSDeniesCare.
The issue has come to the fore as America grapples with what
eproductive health care looks like in a post-Roe v. Wade nation.
But even before the Do
s decision overturned a federal right to an
abortion, some states already had passed laws on whethe
pharmacists can deny a prescription or items like condoms because
of religious beliefs or moral objection.
Other states leave it up to the discretion of the pharmacy location,
and some don't require objecting providers to provide patients with
alternate pharmacists or care. Many of those laws go as far back as
1992, when Congress passed a suite of laws under the Church
Amendment.
So what can you do if a pharmacist won't ful�ll your birth control
prescription because it goes against their faith? Post about it
on social media? Call your health provider? Just ignore it and try
somewhere else? What do you do?
Are pharmacists legally allowed to deny my
prescription because of their beliefs?
In some cases, yes.
4/4/23, 7:15 AM What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy, refuses to fill your birth control - Reader Mode
chrome-distiller:
f403aef0-ca2d-4eaa-aa1d-c321a6bafb6b_6bd574901db0850f55e8e0dc5670666e915aec009f9bd6cdd06f451170b1dc9c/?title=Birth+… 2/4
Six states allow pharmacists to deny prescriptions like birth control o
Plan B if they have a moral or religious objection. Those states
are Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi and South
Dakota – and they don't require pharmacists to �nd an alternate way
to �ll any denied prescriptions elsewhere.
Eight states have laws that require pharmacists to provide care,
despite objections: California, Nevada, Washington, Wisconsin,
Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Seven states allow pharmacists to deny the prescription but require
them to refer patients to another pharmacy. Those states are Oregon,
Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York and
Delaware.
Mara Gandal-Powers is the director of birth control access at the
National Women's Law Center. She said pharmacies have to abide by
state regulations and federal laws while providing accessible care.
"If you are a pharmacy that has condoms on the shelf, you can't
efuse people their birth control," she said.
What do I do if a pharmacist won't give me my
irth control because it's against their beliefs?
Powers said the best thing to do in the moment is ask if there's
anyone else working, like a manager or other pharmacist, who could
take over.
"Most (large pharmacy chains) have policies to deal with this, and if
those policies are working well, you probably will never even hear that
from a pharmacist," she said.
In the instance that a birth control prescription or the purchase of
condoms or other reproductive products is denied because of the
employee's beliefs, Powers said there are many ways to report the
incident.
https:
www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/06/29/plan-b-roe-wade-supreme-court/ XXXXXXXXXX
4/4/23, 7:15 AM What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy, refuses to fill your birth control - Reader Mode
chrome-distiller:
f403aef0-ca2d-4eaa-aa1d-c321a6bafb6b_6bd574901db0850f55e8e0dc5670666e915aec009f9bd6cdd06f451170b1dc9c/?title=Birth+… 3/4
"Oftentimes people post their complaints on social media, but fo
something like birth control, you may not want to go public," Powers
said. "When this happens, there's a lot of shame and emba
assment
that maybe you were in the wrong, but you weren't. You're there to get
your birth control."
How to �le a complaint against your pharmacy
If you have been denied care because of a provider's beliefs, there are
several avenues of recourse.
Patients can �le a complaint with the state pharmacy board, which is
easily searchable on Google. It is also important to alert the
pharmacy's corporate headquarters about what happened.
Powers also suggested �ling a complaint with the Federal O�ce of
Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services on thei
website. You can �ll that out here.
"It's really important for people to know that just because (the
pharmacist) says no, that doesn't mean that's the end all for you,"
Powers said. "You can ask for a refe
al to another pharmacy, which is
a pain and you shouldn't have to do, but it's really important to get
your birth control when you need it."
Health and Human Services O�ce reminds
pharmacies to not discriminate
The issues with providers refusing to provide birth control, condoms
and other products used for reproductive services may ramp up post-
Do
s, some experts said. Government agencies are attempting to
get ahead of that as quickly as possible.
The Federal O�ce of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and
Human Services also created guidance for retail pharmacies to help
ensure they provide access for reproductive care and services afte
https:
www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/13/hhs-issues-guidance-nations-retail-pharmacies-clarifying-their-obligations-ensure-access-comprehensive-reproductive-health-care-services.html
https:
www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/13/hhs-issues-guidance-nations-retail-pharmacies-clarifying-their-obligations-ensure-access-comprehensive-reproductive-health-care-services.html
4/4/23, 7:15 AM What to do if CVS, the nation's largest pharmacy, refuses to fill your birth control - Reader Mode
chrome-distiller:
f403aef0-ca2d-4eaa-aa1d-c321a6bafb6b_6bd574901db0850f55e8e0dc5670666e915aec009f9bd6cdd06f451170b1dc9c/?title=Birth+… 4/4
President Joe Biden's executive order ensuring reproductive health
care access.
According to a news release from the o�ce, the guidance makes it
clear that pharmacies are "prohibited under law from discriminating
ased on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in thei
programs and activities," which includes prescribed medications.
"We are committed to ensuring that everyone can access health care,
free of discrimination,” said Department of Health and Human
Services Secretary Xavier Bece
a. “This includes access to
prescription medications for reproductive health and other types of
care.”
The guide rea�rms that pharmacies cannot discriminate against
pregnant people or people who have a birth control prescription from
their health provider, which are both a form of sex discrimination
under federal law.
"The Department of Health and Human Services’ O�ce for Civil
Rights is responsible for protecting the rights of women and pregnant
people in their ability to access care that is free from discrimination,"
the guide said. "This includes their ability to access reproductive
health care, including prescription medication from their pharmacy,
free from discrimination."
https:
www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/08
oe-v-wade-biden-executive-order-protecting-abortion-access/ XXXXXXXXXX
https:
www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/13/hhs-issues-guidance-nations-retail-pharmacies-clarifying-their-obligations-ensure-access-comprehensive-reproductive-health-care-services.html
https:
www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/07/13/hhs-issues-guidance-nations-retail-pharmacies-clarifying-their-obligations-ensure-access-comprehensive-reproductive-health-care-services.html