Tuesday, June 26, 2018

A law professor explains why Walgreens can deny birth control prescriptions — and how policies might change

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a baker who didn’t want to make a cake for a gay wedding. Now, religious objection is in the news again, after 35-year-old Nicole Arteaga wrote a viral Facebook post about a Walgreens pharmacist denying her prescription for emergency contraception.

Walgreens has apologized for how Arteaga’s case was handled, but it said that the employee had not violated company policy. This particular Walgreens is in Arizona, one of six states that lets pharmacies refuse to provide contraception because of religious or moral objections. Such behavior is protected by the so-called “conscience clause.”

But how did the conscience clause develop, and how is it changing? The Verge spoke with Sonia...

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