Woman sues for sex discrimination after being denied ‘morning-after’ pill

A Minnesota woman is reportedly suing two pharmacies, claiming sex discrimination, after she said she was denied a “morning-after” pill. 

Andrea Anderson has said pharmacists refused to fill her prescription at her local Thrifty White Pharmacy and later at CVS, ABC News reported, citing a lawsuit.  

Anderson said the Thrifty White pharmacist told her he couldn’t fill the prescription due to his “personal beliefs,” the lawsuit said. 

She also reportedly claimed she was told by the pharmacy’s owner that this is not the first time the pharmacist has refused to fill a prescription. 

Anderson also said she was told at CVS that her prescription couldn’t be filled there, the suit said, according to ABC. 

The CVS pharmacist is also accused of telling Anderson that a nearby Walgreens didn’t have the pill in stock. 

Anderson then reportedly called Walgreens and was told they did have it and could fill her prescription. 

“The pharmacists I encountered ignored my health needs and my doctor’s instructions,” Anderson said in a statement to ABC. “I could not believe this was happening. I was angry.”

CVS told the news outlet in a statement that it was “reviewing and investigating the allegations made in the complaint.”

“CVS Pharmacy is committed to providing access to emergency contraception, whether it is at the pharmacy counter for patients who have a prescription for it, or in our store aisles where we have sold over-the-counter emergency contraception for several years,” the pharmacy said. 

A manager at the Thrifty White Pharmacy told ABC that it had not yet been served, but declined to provide additional comment.