‘Birth Control NOW’ Campaign Will Spotlight Unsteady CVS Policies

February 3, 2005 - As the national pharmacy chain CVS seeks to establish a stronghold in the Twin Cities market, the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization for Women seeks to warn area women of unreliable birth control dispensation policies.

While many women nationwide fill their birth control prescriptions through CVS, the Rhode Island-based chain affirms the so-called right of individual pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control prescriptions on the basis of “moral beliefs.”

“Minnesota women need reliable, immediate access to their birth control prescriptions in order to prevent unintended pregnancies. Through our Birth Control NOW education campaign, Minnesota NOW seeks to warn local women that shopping CVS might leave them in the cold,” says Minnesota NOW President Erin Matson.

The Center for Disease Control has reported that over ninety percent of women in the United States use some form of contraception between the ages of 15 and 44.

When a CVS pharmacist’s “moral beliefs” conflict with the dispensation of birth control prescriptions, they are instructed to refer the prescription to another pharmacist on duty; if a sympathetic pharmacist is unavailable, the pharmacist is to make arrangements for patients at other CVS outlets.

“When women need their birth control prescriptions, they need them NOW,” says Matson.

CVS announced its intention to expand into Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2003, and has since opened eight outlets in the metro area.

Minnesota NOW plans to distribute educational leaflets to customers entering the CVS in Minneapolis (3665 Central Avenue NE) on Saturday, February 12.

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