By Evan Moore The Charlotte Observer (TNS) and Tribune Media Services
As many states move to ban abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a national pharmacy chain policy that allows employees to refuse to sell birth control to customers has sparked controversy on social media.
Some are calling for a boycott of Walgreens after Nate and Jess Pentz, a Wisconsin couple, said a cashier refused to sell them condoms due to his faith, Newsweek reported.
“We went to Hayward to get some groceries and stop at a Walgreens because we had left Jess birth control at home,” Pentz tweeted on July 3. “As Jess was checking out, cashier John told her he couldn’t sell her the condoms.”
“We can, but I won’t because of my faith,” Pentz wrote, quoting what the cashier told his wife.
What is the Walgreens policy on birth control sales?
In a tweet from 2018 that recently resurfaced, Walgreens said its policy “allows pharmacists to step away from filling a prescription for which they have a moral objection. At the same time, they are also required to refer the prescription to another pharmacist or manager on duty to meet the patient’s needs in a timely manner.”
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the policy is still in place in an email to The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
Social media users are calling for a Walgreens boycott
After Pentz’s tweet went viral, other users — using the hashtag #BoycottWalgreens — have said they plan to stop shopping at Walgreens.
“Allowing employees to refuse to ring someone up for birth control is really bad customer service,” one Twitter user wrote. “This will cause customers to feel uncomfortable at the checkout. My $24,000+ a year in prescriptions for the past four years will be going elsewhere.
“If your religious beliefs prohibit you from filling a customer’s prescription for birth control, Plan B, or ring up a purchase for condoms then maybe you should get another job because you obviously have no business working in a pharmacy,” another wrote.