Contact: Jennifer Fedor, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000 ext. 126

WASHINGTON, June 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) have introduced legislation deliberately attacking pharmacists who exercise professional moral judgment.  The Access to Birth Control (ABC) Act repeals a pharmacist’s fundamental right to make ethical decisions. 

This bill would force pharmacists to distribute the controversial morning-after pill (MAP), trampling on any professional or ethical concerns.

Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America, said, "Pharmacists are professionals, not vending machines.  The FDA has been known to make mistakes in approving drugs, and doctors have made mistakes in prescribing.  Pharmacists provide a line of defense to ensure that patients' lives and health are protected and can make patients aware of ethical concerns.  Yet this bill would punish pharmacists up to $500,000 for acting on their ethical duty."

"This punitive bill would bankrupt pharmacists for doing what they believe protects people from harm.  We need pharmacists with strong convictions about protecting life and health, but this bill would drive people with such convictions out of the pharmaceutical profession -- which would be detrimental to all patients."

"This bill is promoted by ardent abortion activists yet it would criminalize 'Freedom of choice' by forcing people to act against their beliefs."

Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.