PROPOSED legislation aimed at protecting religious freedoms are "a perceived solution in search of a problem", in the eyes of Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch Presidient, Anthony Tassone.
Responding to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald claiming pharmacists would be able to refuse to dispense contraceptives under the Federal Government's proposed Religious Discrimination Bill, Tassone said he was unsure what would change for pharmacists under the legislation.
"It is unclear what issue the Religious Discrimination Bill will help resolve beyond the already long standing professional expectations of pharmacists," he said.
"That is, if they have a conscientious objection to provide a treatment for a patient on faith or religious grounds they are obligated to refer the patient and help facilitate access of that treatment from another provider.
"Patients have a right to access treatments and care that have been recommended for them in their best interests - and what we don't want to see are unintended consequences that compromises that."
In response to criticism from social media users of pharmacists being entitled to refuse to dispense on religious grounds under the Bill, Tassone said "our members haven't called it, we have never been asked for these types of legislative amendments".
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President, Dr Chris Freeman, also questioned how legislation would impact the healthcare role of pharmacists.
"As stated in the Pharmacy Board of Australia's Code of Conduct, practitioner decisions about access to care need to be free from bias and discrimination," he said.
"Good practice by pharmacists also involves:
* being aware of a pharmacist's right to not provide or participate directly in treatments to which the pharmacist objects conscientiously, informing patients or clients, and
* not allowing moral or religious views to deny patients or clients access to healthcare, recognising that pharmacists are free to decline to provide or participate in that care personally."
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