Pharmacies refuse to sell contraceptives in Hungary

The Health Ministry is launching an investigation based on a statement by Hungarian Chamber of Pharmacists chairman Tamás Horváth's that some pharmacies in Hungary are refusing to stock contraceptives for religious reasons.

Health Minister Ágnes Horváth called the situation intolerable and declared that the ministry will check the situation and warn the pharmacies involved in this practice.

Pope Benedict XVI. has recently called upon pharmacist to refuse selling drugs used for euthanasia and abortion. He declared that the right to withhold drugs used for immoral purposes should be acknowledged by the profession.

As a reaction to his statements, Tamás Horváth said in a radio interview that there are pharmacies in Hungary, such as one in Székesfehérvár, where pharmacists do not sell contraceptive pills on moral grounds. He added that doctors are also able to refuse certain treatments, such as abortions, for religious reasons, but they are obliged to refer patients to a doctor who will provide the service. The abortion and euthanasia drugs referred to by the Pope are not sold in pharmacies in Hungary at all.

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle