A recent analysis of HB 195, a bill that expands pharmacists’ prescription authority in Alaska, has revealed that the state’s Department of Law did not explicitly state that the bill would not increase access to medication abortions. In fact, the Department of Law’s memorandum on the matter suggests that pharmacists may be able to prescribe abortion drugs under certain circumstances.
Background on HB 195
HB 195 was vetoed by Governor Dunleavy, but the Legislature successfully overrode the veto. The bill’s proponents argued that it would increase patient access to basic healthcare, especially during crisis times caused by natural disasters. However, pro-life opponents raised concerns about the bill’s potential to grant pharmacists the ability to prescribe chemical abortion.
The Department of Law’s memorandum states that HB 195 expands the prescription and administration authority of pharmacists, allowing them to prescribe and administer drugs that are ‘intended to achieve outcomes related to the cure or prevention of a disease, elimination or reduction of patient’s symptoms, or arresting or slowing of a disease process.’ However, before prescribing such a drug, the pharmacist would need to enter a ‘collaborative practice agreement with a written protocol approved by a practitioner who is not a pharmacist….’
If the written protocol included prescribing or administering an abortion drug for one of the reasons described above, then the pharmacist would be permitted to administer a drug that induces an abortion to a patient. The Department of Law also recognized that current state law requires abortions to be performed by a licensed physician, but noted that advance practice clinicians (APCs) had won a superior court case challenging this law.
Potential Impact on Abortion Access
The Department of Law’s analysis suggests that HB 195 does not explicitly grant pharmacists the ability to prescribe abortion drugs, but it does give them a footing to challenge the law that prevents them from doing so in court. Considering the court’s decision regarding APCs, it is possible that the court would rule in favor of allowing pharmacists to prescribe abortion drugs, potentially increasing abortion access in the state.
However, it is worth noting that pregnancy is not a disease, and elective abortion does not cure anything. It ends the life of an unborn child. If medical professionals would honor their oath to ‘do no harm’ and adhere to the scientific fact that unborn babies are human persons, not diseases or medical conditions, then HB 195 does not pose a problem.
Original reporting: Must Read Alaska (Anchorage) — read the source article.
