Both Italian and Chilean governments have told pharmacists that they are obligated to dispense drugs such as the “morning after pill” even if it means violating their moral beliefs.The warnings are in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s address before an international conference Monday urging pharmacists to exercise a "conscientious objection" to dispensing drugs that would block pregnancy, induce an abortion or assist euthanasia.
Italian Health Minister Livia Turco [photo in upper left] said the pope’s call should be ignored and that the pope had no right to tell pharmacists what to do. "I don't think his warning to pharmacists to be conscientious objectors to the morning after pill should be taken into consideration," she told daily Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Lidia Menapace, a senator of the Communist Refoundation party, [photo at right] criticized the pope’s appeal to pharmacists to refuse dispensing the morning after pill as “a very heavy interference in politics and Italian life.”
In his address, Benedict had described a conscientious objection as a "right that must be recognized for your profession so you can avoid collaborating, directly or indirectly, in the supply of products which clearly have immoral aims."
However, the Italian law does not recognize such a right and requires pharmacists to fill all prescriptions. "We can't be conscientious objectors unless the law is changed," said Franco Caprino, head of pharmacists' professional group Federfarma, in a Reuters report...
These situations are similar to that of Portugal's Socialist government insisting that a person's actions be decided only by materialist autocrats rather than by the Scriptures, the Church, or individual conscience. (See this previous Vital Signs Blog post.) Remember Dylan's song, "You Gotta' Serve Somebody?" Well, these politicians understand that all too well but they are increasingly demanding that citizens bow to them...and not to God.
Therefore, instead of merely shaking your head at this story, I urge you instead to send a message to help defend freedom of conscience against the bullying tactics of busybody bureaucrats. You can use the brief e-mail I offered in the Portugal post as a guide or take a look at a revised version I sent to the Italian embassy. I'll print that letter right after I give you the addresses for the Italian and Chilean embassies in Washington, D.C.:
Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta
Italian Embassy - Consular Section
3000 Whitehaven street, N.W.
Washington, D.C., 20008
politici.washington@esteri.it
Ambassador Mariano Fernández
Embassy of Chile
1732 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
politico@embassyofchile.org
Dear Ambassador Castellaneta,
Would you please pass on to your government my urgent appeal that they cease interfering in the medical practices of individual doctors in Italy? I refer, of course, to the recent demands by Health Minister Livia Turco that Italian medical professionals ignore Pope Benedict's teaching that Christians should refuse to deal in drugs designed to kill unborn babies. Governments that attempt to trample on the rights of religion and conscience are pursuing an unwise, inhumane and ultimately counter-productive policy and I do ask you to please remind your government of this well-established fact.
Be assured that I (as many, many citizens of the United States will be doing) will pray that the Italian government quickly comes to its senses about this most crucial matter.
Thank you for your consideration of my request.
Denny Hartford
Director, Vital Signs Ministries
Omaha, Nebraska
