TARGET And Its Pharmaceutically-Challenged Employees

Target says it is OK for its pharmacies not to sell contraceptives if such things are against a pharmacist-employee's religious beliefs.

John Aravosis at AMERICABlog has this to say about it:

[L]et's ask Target if they also support the following Target employees:

- Check out clerks who verify how fat you are before selling you that package of potato chips?
- Pharmacists who don't want to fill prescriptions for Jewish customers who killed Christ.
- Pharmacists who don't want to help customers who worship a "Satanic counterfeit" (read: "The Pope," in fundie-speak).
- Pharmacists who only dispense HIV medicine to "innocent victims" of AIDS.
- Pharmacists who want proof that women seeking emergency contraception were really raped, and that they didn't "deserve it."
- Pharmacists (or cashiers) who are Christian Scientists - can they refuse to sell any medicine, even aspirin, to anyone?
- Pharmacists who won't sell birth control pills to unmarried women, condoms to unmarried men, or any birth control at all because God doesn't want people spilling their seed.
- Can fundamentalist Christian employees refuse to interact with gay people in any way, shape or form since gays are sinners, abominations, biological errors, and very likely pedophiles?

There is an easy solution to all this. Target should not be allowed to say it has real pharmacies unless it warns its customers that its pharmacies are not "full service."

And I'm not merely referring to one of those "We Have The Right To Refuse Service To Anyone" signs. Congress should pass a law requiring Target and stores like it to specifically warn its customers of any extreme employee beliefs that may cause certain stores to be pharmaceutically challenged.

The following is an example of a sign that Target should be required by law to prominently display at every public entrance of every affected Target store as well as at every affected Target pharmacy counter:
_____________________________________________________

TARGET DOES NOT REQUIRE ITS PHARMACISTS TO FILL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF DRUGS IF A PHARMACIST'S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ARE OPPOSED TO THE USE OF SUCH DRUGS:

All drugs related to birth control (emergency or otherwise);

All drugs related to treatment of HIV;

All drugs related to treatment for conditions that a Target pharmacist thinks may be caused by HIV (e.g., pneumonia); and

All drugs related to treatment of any disease that could have been sexually transmitted.

GOD BLESS, AND HAVE A SUPER DAY!

____________________________________________________

This is, of course, merely an example of what such a sign could say. Each store's version should vary depending on the particular extremist attitudes of the employees involved. Each violation of this law should be punishable by a hefty civil penalty paid directly to the customer who was unlawfully refused service.

Seriously, if Target wants to take such a ridiculous position and actually hire pharmacists who refuse to fully perform their jobs, then its customers are entitled to know this before attempting to patronize Target's pharmacies. Once something like the above-described notice is mandated by law, I'm pretty sure that good old American capitalism will put this matter to rest once and for all.

UPDATE: Here is The Rude Pundit's take on all this. As always, DO NOT click on this link if you are easily offended.