Can a pharmacist legally deny a patient a prescription? It depends.
“The pharmacies are governed by state law and state boards, and the pharmacies themselves often have their own policies,” said Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center. Less than half of all states have something on the books about pharmacist refusals. Six states, including Arizona, have laws or regulations that allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense medication for religious or moral reasons without any obligation to the patient, such as transferring the prescription to another pharmacist or pharmacy, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
