Ethics in the Workplace

An article by Crispin Sartwell in the LA Times attempts, briefly, to answer some interesting ethical questions. When ones job becomes distasteful, morally, should one be required to do it? His thesis follows.

"I personally am no opponent of birth control of any sort or, for that matter, of abortion rights. But people whose jobs require them to violate their own deeply held convictions ought to refuse to do the job, and any politician who upholds freedom or dignity must uphold their right to do so."

Even more interesting to me than Sartwell's perspective is a response to it posted on Lean Left. (You can guess the specific political leaning of this blog.) Lean Left presumes that a Pharmacist who refuses birth control to a Patron is doing so because he disapproves"...[of the Patrons] sexual behavior..." This may be the case, but it could also be that the Pharmacist has discovered something wrong with the drug (i.e. tampering, contamination, etc). Perhaps the Pharmacist is made aware of other drugs prescribed to the Patron that would make for a lethal cocktail. Therefore, the question of motive, in this case, is moot. If a Physician is given the right to refuse treatment of a Patient that has not followed her council--an ethical question. Then any individual, under any circumstance that ethics touch, should be afforded the right to refuse service.
Lean Left exaggerated the issue, stating,

"What’s remarkable in this piece is that there is not, in its entire length, a single mention of the interests of the people who are harmed by being unilaterally denied access to healthcare."

There is nothing 'unilateral' about the refusal. It is simply a refusal. We need not patronize every Pharmacist, Grocer, or Gas Station we encounter. But, these institutions, and those who are employed by them, ought to be able to refuse service to anyone.

Update: I support the APhA Conscience Clause below.
"American Pharmaceutical Association
Conscience Clause

APhA recognizes the individual pharmacist's right to exercise conscientious refusal and supports the establishment of systems to ensure patient access to legally prescribed therapy without compromising the pharmacist's right of conscientious refusal.

APhA shall appoint a council to serve as a resource for the profession in addressing and understanding ethical issues."

Another Update:

I cannot resist updating you one more time. On April 7th, The Abrams Report featured this issue, and in interviewing a Pharmacist that supports the right to refuse, Dan Abrams severely undercut his own arguments to the contrary. See the link for the complete transcript, or below for the pertinent section of the dialog.

"DUPLANTIS: Well that‘s absolutely absurd because we are trying to respond. We‘re trying to warn women about this terrible, dangerous drug...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... that has killed more women...

ABRAMS: Mr. Duplantis...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... than any other chemical there is on the market.

ABRAMS: ... here‘s the problem. I don‘t even know-I‘m not convinced you believe that. I think and let me tell you and I‘ll let you respond...

DUPLANTIS: You‘re not a chemist. You‘re not a scientist either.

ABRAMS: All right. That‘s fine. I am not. I am not, but I‘ll tell you that I haven‘t seen anything medically that supports anything you are saying, but I‘ll let you respond.[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: Well you‘re not reading the right literature...

ABRAMS: All right. All right...

DUPLANTIS: ... because it‘s everywhere...

ABRAMS: Well that‘s the question.

DUPLANTIS: ... in all of the medical journals.

ABRAMS: That‘s the-yes, OK. All right...[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: All the medical journals support what I‘m saying.

ABRAMS: Yes. All right. No they don‘t...[Emphasis added]

DUPLANTIS: All the medical...

(CROSSTALK)

DUPLANTIS: ... information.

ABRAMS: Come on, that‘s just silliness...

DUPLANTIS: The birth control packets...

ABRAMS: Why don‘t you just admit...

DUPLANTIS: ... on the prescription.

ABRAMS: Mr. Duplantis, just admit this is about religion. Just admit it...

DUPLANTIS: It‘s absolutely...

ABRAMS: Come clean. Come clean.

DUPLANTIS: ... the only thing religious about this is the fact that because I have a moral conscience I want to help women and we want to call or question that saying that just like Vioxx and Seldane and Redux, all these drugs, and the fact that estrogen and this cardiologist knows that DVDs (ph) and the cardiovascular episodes that estrogen causes...

ABRAMS: All right."