The central ethical issue presented in the case study is whether a pharmacist has the right to refuse a prescription if he is morally opposed to a possible outcome of the use of that prescription or whether a patient has the right to have a prescription filled without regard to a pharmacist's opinion of whether her use of that medication is ethical or moral. .

             Whether states should enact and/or enforce laws that permit pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions on moral grounds.

             Whether an employer has the right to compel a pharmacist to fill prescriptions that the pharmacist finds morally offensive, by requiring the pharmacist to sign a contract agreeing to fill every presented prescription and enforcing that contract through employment discipline procedures. .

             Whether the state licensing board has the right to require pharmacists to fill morally offensive prescriptions or face discipline or the loss of a license. .

             Section 2.

             Regardless of how the ethical issue should be resolved, it is clear that both sides of the issue are meritorious. A patient has a legitimate interest in having a prescription filled and that a pharmacist has a legitimate interest in not providing medication that he finds ethically offensive. There are several solutions that can protect one or both of those interests. The first option is for the state licensing board to require pharmacists to fill prescriptions without regard to their moral or ethical objections. The second option is for the state to permit pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions, but to allow employers to compel pharmacists to fill all prescriptions as a condition of employment. The third option is for the state to permit pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions and to prohibit employers from punishing pharmacists who choose to exercise that right. Both the second and third scenario might create situations that would result in a patient being unable to fill a prescription in a timely and medically necessary manner.