A friend told me this disquieting tale. A friend of hers was pregnant and looking forward to having

the baby. Sadly, for some reason, the fetus died in utero. In such a case, the mother’s life is in danger if the dead fetus isn’t

expelled quickly. So, her doctor wrote a prescription for a drug that does this.

At a Walgreen’s, the pharmacist refused to fill

this prescription. The customer, her mother, her doctor, all explained the circumstances. This was not an abortion, this was the end of a

miscarriage. The pharmacist was unmoved.

I tell you this tale not because I want you to boycott Walgreens, though I understand why

my friend now does. At first, I felt a little sympathy for the pharmacist — we never know when we will be faced with a decision that

challenges our deepest commitments. On further reflection, I believe the pharmacist is a selfish coward and sadist who should lose

his/her license. In fact, if this person believes s/he has principles, that should be reason enough to resign.

All across our

country, people are achieving things in life with help from all the rest of us. Some have come to believe their achievements are all

their own and that they own nothing to the community. If you went to school, we all paid taxes for that. If you got scholarship money

from any source, you have more than a financial debt. You can refuse to perform any service — I refuse to join the military — but you

can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a doctor and refuse to care for those you disagree with. You can’t be a policeman and refuse to

help those you don’t like. You can’t claim morality and act so indecently. mjh