Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Should conscience protections be extended to medical professionals? For years that question was settled by laws that protected the conscience of medical providers when it came to the issue of abortion. However, with changing moral standards and cultural attitudes, the question of conscience rights is being revisited, especially regarding transgender issues. Recently, a pharmacist in Arizona refused to fill a hormone prescription intended to change the patient's gender appearance. After the story went public, the pharmacist was fired. So should a pharmacist check their conscience at the door when it comes to transgender issues, even when they think a prescription could be harmful to the patient? That's a question that is being debated in the public arena and one every pharmacist will have to answer sooner or later.