Pharmacist wins case after refusal to provide abortion pills due to personal beliefs
Minnesota pharmacist George Badeaux and his attorney Charles Shreffler on their successful lawsuit against being forced to provide abortion pills
Minnesota pharmacist George Badeaux faced legal trouble after he refused to provide emergency contraceptive pills to a patient in 2019 because of his personal religious beliefs.
"I couldn't fill this prescription because one of the possible mechanisms of action of the medication is that it can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterus," Badeaux told "Fox & Friends First" host Todd Piro on Wednesday.
"In my mind, that would be ending a new human life."
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Containers of the medication used to end an early pregnancy sit on a table inside a Planned Parenthood clinic, Oct. 29, 2021, in Fairview Heights, Illinois. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Badeaux went on to say the patient's move to sue him for refusing to supply the morning after pill surprised him. He also argued that medical professionals should not be forced to leave their deeply-held beliefs in their "back pocket[s]" on the job.
"We should be able to live out our beliefs in our workplace," he said.
Piro noted that, although Badeaux won the case, the plaintiff received $25,000 for "emotional harm" as well.
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Protesters join thousands marching around the Arizona Capitol after the Supreme Court decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, June 24, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
"That's a confusing feature of Minnesota trial practice," said Badeaux's attorney Charles Shreffler.
"The jury is instructed that their job isn't done until the damages question is answered regardless of how you answered the liability questions." Shreffler went on to explain that, although the plaintiff was awarded damages, they will not receive those damages after failing to prove their case.
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The plaintiff's representing group issued a statement alleging "illegal sex discrimination" following Badeaux's move to withhold the emergency contraceptive.
"I did everything I could in light of the facts," Badeaux said. "And I went out of my way to phone the patient when there was a small possibility that the pharmacist who would be working the next day who would fill the prescription might not make it because of a snowstorm forecast."
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