Basically, this one is true, but it's old news. Wal-Mart revised its policy on Preven in September, 1999, gaining the approval of Planned Parenthood. Wal-Mart still does not carry the drug, but they are obligated to point customers to pharmacies that will fill the order. Plus, they will stilldispense contraceptive pills that, taken in high doses, have similar effects to Preven. Read this statement from Planned Parenthood for more information. Break this Chain.
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. does not have an agreement of any kind with Planned Parenthood. Recently, it has been inaccurately reported that Wal-Mart pharmacists were referring customers to Planned Parenthood as part of a Wal-Mart policy. This is simply not true. Wal-Mart pharmacists are trained professionals who are given the autonomy to give independent professional counsel to their customers."
WAL-MART: Promises to Offer Alternatives to Women Seeking Preven
September 16, 1999
In a move that drew praise from Planned Parenthood organizations throughout the country, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. officials recently clarified their policy on dispensing emergency contraception, saying that while the stores will not fill prescriptions for Preven, they will dispense prescriptions for high-dose oral contraceptives that have the same affect as the morning-after pill, the Dallas Morning News reports. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced that it had made the business decision not to stock Preven, but that pharmacists would refer patients elsewhere to fill the prescription. The "reaffirmed" policy states that "if a pharmacist won't fill a prescription" — for either Preven or other oral contraceptives — the pharmacist "must make a reasonable effort to ensure it is filled either by another store pharmacist or another pharmacy." The chain came under fire after "very isolated feedback" indicated that some pharmacists would not fill prescriptions for contraceptive products that would be "used in place of morning-after pills." Wal-Mart officials have not decided if they will offer the new emergency contraceptive, Plan B.
A Step Forward
After meeting with Wal-Mart officials this summer, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt said she was pleased by Wal-Mart's recent actions, adding that the "issue is not what brand a store carries. The issue is whether a woman can get her prescription for emergency contraception filled" (Larson, Dallas Morning News, 9/15). Alexander Sanger, president of Planned Parenthood of New York City, said of the policy, "With this, the pharmacists won't unload his or her religious beliefs on their customers. When customers come in to get emergency contraceptives, either the pharmacy must fill it or refer them to another store, even if it's to a competitor." He added, "We hope this policy may make them re-evaluate their business decision. Hopefully, we won't have to fight this battle every time a contraceptive comes on the market." Wal-Mart spokesperson Jessica Moser said yesterday that the policy in question had been in place for "several years and that it was reaffirmed as part of a routine meeting in August." She added, "We're just trying to figure out what the news is here. As far as we're concerned, there wasn't any" (Morrow, New York Times, 9/16).
Wal-Mart won't carry the 'morning-after' pill
Wal-Mart won't carry the 'morning-after' pill
There are some in the pro-abortion crowd who are just going bonkers over Wal-Mart's decision not to carry the new "morning-after contraceptive."
The drug, called Preven, supposedly prevents, or ends, pregnancy if it is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.
As Wal-Mart's critics have noted, that could reduce dramatically the number of unwanted pregnancies. Also, however, it could tend to cause an increase in sexual activity, especially the dangerous unprotected kind.
Above all, some consider the use of Preven to be a form of abortion. Wal-Mart announced its decision after a group called Pharmacists for Life International requested that it not sell the pill.
Critics charge that Wal-Mart should not refuse to stock any prescription drug because in some towns it might have the only pharmacy available. In those towns, the critics say, people would be unable to get the medicines that their doctors prescribe.
But Wal-Mart does not refuse to stock any other medicines -- none, for example, that cure illnesses. Preven is not that sort of drug. Rather than a life-saving medicine, it is one that may encourage certain behavior.
People who live in towns where Wal-Mart is the only pharmacy -- and let's face it, they are few and far between -- can simply not rely on Preven.
In our country, stores are free to carry whatever merchandise they wish. They can make their choices for any reason that they wish -- financial, whim or, as in this case, for moral reasons or to enhance their image.
The merchant's right to stock his store in the way he sees fit is just as important as a woman's right to a "morning-after" pill.
--MIKE ROUSE
September 3, 2002
A federal district court judge in Atlanta on Friday granted class-action status to a lawsuit that contends Wal-Mart discriminates against female employees by declining to cover prescription contraceptives under its employee health plan, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Judge Julie Carnes ruled that women who used prescription contraceptives and worked for Wal-Mart after March 2001 are eligible to file claims against the company. Attorney George Stein, who is representing Lisa Smith Mauldin, a service manager who enrolled in Wal-Mart's health care plan in February 2000 and bought prescription contraceptives "when she could afford them," said that the class-action suit could now include up to 400,000 employees.
Mauldin's suit alleges that the company's health plan violates the Civil Rights Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act by denying prescription contraceptive coverage for women. The lawsuit asks the court to declare Wal-Mart's health plan illegal and require the company to reimburse all prescription contraceptive costs paid by female employees.
While approving most of the lawsuit, Carnes denied parts that sought class-action status for female employees who wanted to use contraceptives but did not purchase them and for male employees with spouses who used prescription contraceptives.
The case follows a ruling last year by a federal judge in Seattle that upheld the first legal challenge against employers who refuse to pay for prescription contraceptives, the Journal reports.
The Atlanta court is also expected to rule on a similar lawsuit filed in January against CVS Pharmacy by a former female cashier who used contraceptives. CVS has since changed its health plan to cover prescription contraceptives, the Journal-Constitution reports (Rankin, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/31).
Planned Parenthood Planning Boycott of Wal-Mart
For those of you who have not heard, Planned Parenthood is planning a boycott of Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart will not sell Preven.
Preven is being called the "day after" contraceptive. It is not a contraceptive. The egg will have already been fertilized. This is an abortion device and Wal-Mart refuses to sell it.
Planned Parenthood is asking all women and the men who agree with a woman's right to choose (to kill) to boycott Wal-Mart and to write them letting them know why they are being boycotted. Wal-Mart officials gave an e-mail address for us to write to. Please let them know we appreciate their stand.
We must not let them down. They are standing up for what is right.
The address is: letters@wal-mart.com
In the Subject line, write: Preven.
Please forward this to everyone and let's let them know that the majority still supports right to life. Thanks. We really need to support businesses that take a moral stand on an issue.
Wal-Mart's refusal to sell the "morning-after" Pill
Boycotts: also see Planned Parenthood Planning Boycott of Wal-Mart
1997-MAY: Wal-Mart boycott proposed: The Kaiser reproductive health report reported that Planned Parenthood of New York City "has informed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that it may orchestrate a boycott of its pharmacies" because of its ban on Preven. Their president, Alexander Sanger wrote: "I strongly urge Wal-Mart to immediately re-evaluate and reverse its decision to not stock, order or dispense emergency contraception under the brand name Preven." The threatened boycott never materialized.
1999-MAY: Second boycott: Women Leaders Online suggest that people avoid buying stuff from Wal-Mart, to keep a record of how much money they have diverted from Wal-Mart, and then send them an Email at letters@wal-mart.com with a message such as:
"This week, I spent $134.23 at stores other than Wal-Mart. I made a business decision not to patronize Wal-Mart for these purchases, since your decision not to sell Emergency Contraception made it clear that you did not want my business, nor that of other women. If you change your minds and start providing the medicine women need, please let me know."
Wal-Mart Pharmacies Continue To Deny Women A Safe And Effective Form Of Contraception
For Immediate Release - May 10, 2001
Statement by Joan Malin
CEO, Planned Parenthood of New York City
Thank you, New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi, for convening this event to raise public awareness on emergency contraception (EC) and to continue to pressure Wal-Mart to provide women with this safe and effective form of contraception that could prevent over a million unwanted pregnancies nationally each year.
At Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC), we provide safe, affordable and confidential reproductive health services to tens of thousands of women and teenagers each year. We offer the safest and most effective forms of contraception, including EC.
In 1999, PPNYC alerted the public that Wal-Mart, the third-largest pharmacy system in the United States, refused to stock or dispense EC. Unfortunately, in 2001, Wal-Mart's "business decision" has not changed. Today, Wal-Mart neither stocks nor dispenses Preven or Plan B, the two products specifically marketed for use as EC. If presented with a prescription for EC, Wal-Mart will not fill it, but will make a referral to another pharmacy that will fill the prescription.
EC is a safe, effective, time-tested method of preventing pregnancy when used within three days of unprotected intercourse. Whether a couple’s contraception fails, contraception is simply not used, or a woman is a survivor of rape, EC offers women a strong chance of preventing an unplanned pregnancy. In fact, if EC is taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex, chances of a woman becoming pregnant will decrease 95 percent. Taking EC within 72 hours reduces the chances of pregnancy by 75 percent.
In 1997, the FDA concluded that EC is a safe and effective form of contraception. Leading medical and health organizations, including the AMA, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health Organization, have all endorsed its use to prevent pregnancy.
But EC is a time-sensitive regimen and is of little use if a woman can’t get it when and where she needs it. So why would Wal-Mart try to prevent women from accessing the one contraceptive they need in an emergency?
Widespread use of EC could prevent half of all unintended pregnancies -- an estimated 1.7 million nationally each year -- and reduce the number of abortions by approximately 800,000. In New York City alone, with increased availability and public awareness, EC has the potential to eliminate approximately 100,000 unintended pregnancies and 50,000 abortions each year. At PPNYC, we saw 4,551 visits for EC -- a 40% increase from 1999 and a 70% increase from 1998.
In late April, PPNYC launched its latest public awareness campaign Accidents Happen to raise awareness about EC's potential to prevent unplanned pregnancies and to publicize its availability at PPNYC health centers. Our campaign consists of radio spots, subway advertisements, billboards in over 100 New York City restaurants and bars, and movie slides in theaters throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Given EC's potential to prevent half of all unintended pregnancies, Wal-Mart's policy is a grave disservice to the hundreds of thousands of women in America each year who are at risk for unwanted pregnancies. PPNYC strongly advocates for continued pressure on Wal-Mart to allow women access to EC. Rather than restrict access to this contraception, we should ensure that this safe, effective contraceptive method is available so that all women who need it will be able to obtain it. Thank you.
What IS the Wal-Mart policy on Preven?
P. O. Box 22100, Lexington, KY 40522 Phone: 859-255-5400
The application of it is probably neither as good nor bad as you think
From, The Kentucky Citizen Digest, May/June, 2001.
The Federal Drug Administration in June of 1999 approved Preven, a prescription drug that if taken within 72 hours after intercourse prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. Immediately both pro-life and pro-choice groups sprang into action. Planned Parenthood began commercial campaigns offering the drug, while Pregnancy Care Centers and other pro-life groups stepped up their efforts to inform the public that Preven is not a contraceptive, but is actually an abor-tifacient.
Adding fuel to the fire was an announcement by a Wal-Mart spokesman that its stores would not sell Preven. Then e-mails began to flow. Planned Parenthood called for a boycott of Wal-Mart, while pro-lifers encouraged support of Wal-Mart’s decision. The battle was on.
Wal-Mart contended that its 1998 decision not to offer Preven was based on a “variety of business considerations” and was not “a moral stance against the drug.” Planned Parenthood, however, accused Wal-Mart of making the drug less accessible to girls from rural areas who might have to travel long distances to obtain it. With Planned Parenthood’s instigation, a boycott looked imminent.
Wal-Mart then softened its original position, saying that although the store’s pharmacies would not fill Preven prescriptions, they would refer customers to other nearby pharmacies who would. This drew praise from Planned Parenthood.
In response to rumors that customers would also be referred to Planned Parenthood itself, The Family Foundation initiated a simple investigation.
A researcher with The Foundation called all 59 Wal-Mart stores in Kentucky twice. With the first call, the Wal-Mart pharmacist was asked if the store sold the “morning after pill,” Preven’s nickname. In the second call, the pharmacist was asked whether “Preven” was sold, or whether he or she could make a referral to someone who did sell it.
When the “morning-after pill” was mentioned, the clerk knew what to look for. When asked for “Preven,” often the pharmacist was unfamiliar with the name, sometimes searching shelves or data banks for stock or information. Many asked what the drug did.
Interestingly, when asked for the “morning after pill,” 11 of the pharmacists referred the caller to a doctor, hospital, or health department. When asked for “Preven,” only one referred the caller to a doctor, saying she couldn’t remember if doctor approval was necessary in order to obtain Preven, or if she were confusing such regulations with those that applied to RU-486. Confusion over the two names of the same drug illustrates an apparent lack of knowledge even among professional pharmacists.
Jessica Mosier is a spokesperson for Wal-Mart. “Wal-Mart’s priority is to take care of the customer. In this case we do that by referring them to the pharmacy in their area that will fill the prescription,” she said.
In roughly one-third of the calls, the pharmacist did make a general referral to another store. However, the referral was just friendly customer service suggesting that our researcher “might try ____ or ____.” The pharmacist did not actually know who sold the drug. No referrals were made to Planned Parenthood.
All this points to the fact that businesses and pharmacists are ambivalent and less than knowledgeable about dispensing abortifacients. If this is true, it means the door is still open to persuade people that Preven and other such drugs are not healers, but killers.
One observer privy to the facts of this research mused, “Perhaps Wal-Mart should be a little less concerned about falling prices and more concerned with the falling value of human life.”
It is clear that Wal-Mart does not sell Preven. It is clear that many of their stores do not refer to other retailers who do. And Right to Life groups point out that this is good, because whether a store distributes Preven themselves or refers their customers to those who do – unborn babies lose their lives, and this costs all of us dearly.
Key Family Foundation Contacts:
Kent Ostrander, Executive Director
Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst