The South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) has issued a notice confirming pharmacists may not – based on personal beliefs, moral reasons or religious grounds – refuse to dispense drugs to patients wishing to terminate their pregnancy, warning that their refusal could have “devastating consequences”.
TimesLIVE reports that 13 NGOs and legal centres had written an open letter to the Council and National Department of Health highlighting “alarming reports of pharmacists refusing to dispense abortifacients (drugs that induce abortion), despite patients having valid prescriptions”.
“A staggering 40% of surveyed pharmacies were implicated in these refusals, undermining constitutional rights to reproductive autonomy and access to healthcare,” they wrote.
Abortion Support South Africa said refusing to dispense this medication had devastating consequences.
“When a woman in a rural area is told by the only pharmacist in town that they won’t dispense her valid prescription for abortion medication, this often means she won’t get the help she needs, or she’ll resort to unsafe methods,” said executive director of Abortion Support South Africa Victoria Satchwell.
“Pharmacists cannot decide for a woman if she should have an abortion, and they should not push women into the back-street.”
The SAPC is a statutory body mandated under the Pharmacy Act to regulate the profession in the country. It has disciplinary powers that include the authority to monitor compliance with professional standards, investigate alleged misconduct and impose disciplinary sanctions against those found guilty of misconduct, which may include deregistration.
The Council said in its notice to the profession that pharmacists:
• may not hinder or prevent any woman from exercising their choice to terminate a pregnancy based on their own opinion or beliefs;
• must act in the best interests of their patient; and
• must respect patients’ autonomy in making reproductive health choices and perform their duties for the well-being of patients.
Pharmacies that refuse general or standard care to an individual based on personal beliefs can be fined or face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
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