CHICAGO, April 2 (UPI) -- Illinois' governor has issued an emergency rule compelling pharmacists to dispense contraceptives even if they believe the drugs kill unborn human beings.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's action follows a refusal Friday of an Osco pharmacist to dispense "morning-after" pills to two women, suggesting they return later and ask for a different pharmacist, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday.
State lawmakers could overturn Blagojevich's rule.
Osco and the American Pharmacists Association backed up the pharmacist's right to invoke the state's "conscience clause."
But Blagojevich, who said he was taking a stand against a growing national trend of anti-abortion pharmacists refusing to dispense contraceptives, also filed an administrative complaint against Osco, charging it with "failure to provide pharmaceutical care" and "unprofessional conduct" for refusing to dispense contraceptives to the two women in February.
Birth control pills and "morning-after" pills work by preventing conception or preventing a fertilized egg from implanting itself in the uterus.
