Can you be denied birth control, and what should you do about it?

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A TikTok video of a woman saying she was denied her birth control pills from a Walgreens because of the pharmacist’s beliefs has gone viral.

Channel 8 reached out to an area pharmacist and a women’s health specialist to see what your options are if you run into the same trouble, and what the ethics are behind the issue.

“Whatever you do, you have to do what is best for the patient,” said Steve Osenbaugh of Relycare Pharmacy.

He said if “your faith comes into play, if you’re asked to do something you don’t necessarily want to do or you’re on the fence with, then maybe find a colleague who can step in for you.”

A woman can always have her provider transfer her prescription to another pharmacy or look into another contraception option.

“Sometimes, the mail-order pharmacies are more convenient for patients because it’s delivered to them,” said Madison Pieper, a nurse practitioner at Trillion Health & Hormone. “It’s just a matter of waiting in the mail for it.”

Pieper said there is a way to avoid having to go to the pharmacy every month for your prescription.

“There are other long-acting birth control options available to patients, especially if they are maybe concerned about refilling their prescription in the future,” she said.

Right now, women should be able to freely access contraceptives.

“I just encourage woman to advocate for themselves,” Pieper said. “As a provider, I am always advocating for my patients, just trying to make sure that they get the best health care services that they need. If they ever have questions, they can come to Trillion.”

Pharmacists across the nation do have the right to refuse to give a client something they do not believe in, but they must find someone to take care of the client.

“I just understand both sides of the issue,” Osenbaugh said “There is a body of believers who believe strongly in not having the birth control pills. So I think we honor that, but we also take care of the client.”

There have been no reports of this happening at any Walgreens in Nebraska. Channel 8 reached out to Walgreens but has not received a comment related to the incident.