Conscience clauses and oral contraceptives: conscientious objection or calculated obstruction?

This article examines the ethical and legal implications of conscience clauses, which allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for oral contraceptives due to their belief that they may constitute abortifacients. The author provides an informative background on contraception and the history of how abortion has been viewed in this country, then takes a critical look at some of the conscience laws already in existence, using a bioethical framework to examine them. She concludes by providing suggestions to reduce the negative ethical implications resulting from the enactment of conscience clauses.