Planned Parenthood
of
FACT SHEET
Neil Noesen Disciplinary Hearing
Planned Parenthood of
The ALJ found that
Noesen violated his legal and ethical duties to a patient by refusing to fill
or transfer her valid prescription for birth control pills.
·
The
ALJ determined that Noesen substantially departed from the recognized standard
of care when he refused to fill a legal prescription for birth control pills.
·
The
ALJ found that this departure from ordinary care could have resulted in harm to
the patient and that Noesen failed to consider the risks to the patient as a
result of his refusal to fill her prescription.
·
Refusing
to fill a prescription is a form of patient abandonment that is unacceptable in
the delivery of medical services. This
decision recognizes the patient-centered approach to health care that we should
expect from our providers.
The Noesen decision
supports a patient’s right to access legally prescribed medications.
Planned Parenthood
opposes two bills that are currently circulating in the state legislature,
which would legalize the type of patient abandonment Noesen demonstrated.
·
The Patient Abandonment
Bill, introduced
last session as AB 67, allows health care providers, including pharmacists, to
deny women access to health care based on their own personal objections. This bill:
o
Protects
health care professionals who refuse to provide patients certain medical
information, refuse to participate in certain activities, or refuse to provide
any assistance to patients in accessing medical care;
o
Allows
health care providers to elevate personal beliefs above patient care, which
endangers patient health; and
o
Intends
to deny women access to birth control.
We know that denial of birth
control will be a consequence of this bill because Noesen testified at his
hearing that the basis of his refusal to dispense birth control pills was this
legislation (then AB 67).
·
The Prescription Denial
Bill
allows a pharmacist to refuse to dispense any legally prescribed medication
that he or she believes would be used to 1) cause an abortion; or 2) cause the
death of any person. This bill would:
o
Protect
a pharmacist like Noesen who refuses to fill legally prescribed medication
based on a personal objection;
o
Support
pharmacists who abandon their patients and leave them with no access to legally
prescribed medications, even in life or death situations.
Planned Parenthood
supports legislation called the Patient Protection Act, which would explicitly
codify a pharmacist’s duty to dispense legally
prescribed medications.
·
The
Patient Protection Act ensures that the delivery of health care services will
not be compromised by the discrimination that occurs when pharmacists refuse to
dispense legally prescribed medications based on a personal objection to the
prescription.
·
The
Patient Protection Act strengthens existing