A bill allowing pharmacists to directly write prescriptions for basic ailments passed the Alaska Legislature on its final day, after facing months of opposition from anti-abortion activists. The state Department of Law has explicitly stated that the bill would not increase access to medication abortions, but some conservative lawmakers and anti-abortion advocacy groups mounted a campaign claiming otherwise.
JUNEAU — A bill allowing pharmacists to directly write prescriptions for basic ailments passed the Alaska Legislature on its final day, after facing months of opposition from anti-abortion activists .
The state Department of Law has explicitly stated that the bill would not increase access to medication abortions, but some conservative lawmakers and anti-abortion advocacy groups mounted a campaign claiming otherwise. The bill would allow pharmacists to prescribe medications for conditions such as the flu, strep throat and urinary tract infections, as well as other conditions that fall within their training and expertise. Describing the challenge to provide healthcare when ex-Typhoon Halong hit Southwest Alaska, Sen.
Cathy Giessel, one of the bill’s sponsors, said that the bill would have allowed community pharmacists to provide speedy patient care on the ground. In response to concerns about the extent to which the bill would expand pharmacists’ scope of practice, lawmakers amended it to restrict pharmacists from prescribing specific drugs classified as high-risk by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The bill ultimately passed the Legislature by vote of 32-8 in the House and 15-5 in the Senate.
But on the final day of session, senatorsJeff Turner, spokesperson for Gov. Mike Dunleavy, declined to comment on the governor’s stance on the bill. Alaska judges have interpreted the state constitution to protect abortion access as a matter of privacy rights, but the current debate over this bill comes amid years of conflict over abortion policy in Alaska. During his tenure, Dunleavy’s administration has repeatedly supported efforts to restrict abortion access and has criticized court rulings that upheld those protections.
Alaska Right to Life, the state chapter of a national a nonprofit anti-abortion advocacy organization, launched a campaign against the bill based on claims that it would allow pharmacists to prescribe medications taken to induce an abortion, such as mifepristone and misoprostol. The group described the legislation as allowing ‘pharmacists to prescribe, administer, and dispense abortion pills.
’ Supporters of the bill, however, say those claims are inaccurate and that several legal and practical barriers prevent pharmacists from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs. The bill is not about abortion at all, and the intent of the bill is really about helping to increase limited primary care access that pharmacists are trained to do.
The amendment didn’t go far enough for some members of the minority caucus, who presented a non-bill restricting pharmacists from not only prescribing but dispensing any abortion-inducing drug or other selective progesterone receptor modulators. The bill ultimately passed by a vote of 32-8 in the House and 15-5 in the Senate. The governor’s stance on the bill was not commented on by the spokesperson for Gov. Mike Dunleavy
Pharmacists Prescriptions Basic Ailments Alaska Legislature Anti-Abortion Activists State Department Of Law Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Pharmacists Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement Collaborative Practice Agreement
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In Alaska House and U.S. Senate, impassioned pleas to help two storm-ravaged villages in limboRep. Nellie Jimmie and Sen. Lisa Murkowski call for government support for Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. The Alaska House passed a resolution to support their decision to relocate.
Read more »
Team Behind Americana at Brand Memes Account to Write Heist Comedy ‘Jay Pegs Auto Mart’Forced Perspective and The Boldest are producing the feature, which comes from the anonymous writers who run the popular Los Angeles social media page.
Read more »
Airport security fast-lane system known as CLEAR could be coming to AlaskaThe Alaska Legislature has approved a state driver’s license data-sharing bill that would allow some travelers to speed through security at airports in Alaska.
Read more »
Why We Write Poems After HeartbreakHeartbreak disrupts attachment, identity, and meaning. Poetry may help the mind give shape to what ordinary language cannot hold.
Read more »