CHANTILLY, Va. – A new drug store at a Virginia strip mall is putting its faith in an unconventional business plan: No candy. No sodas. And no birth control. Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy is among at least seven pharmacies across the nation that are refusing as a matter of faith to sell contraceptives of any kind, even if a person has a prescription.
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(Photo: AP Images / Jacquelyn Martin)Pam Semler, of Fairfax, Va., works the register at DMC Pharmacy in Chantilly, Va. on Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. The pharmacy bills itself as 'pro-life' and carries no contraceptive products. Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy is among at least seven pharmacies across the nation that is refusing as a matter of faith to sell contraceptives of any kind, even if a person has a prescription.
States across the country have been wrestling with the issue of pharmacists who refuse on religious grounds to dispense birth control or morning-after pills, and some have enacted laws requiring drug stores to fill the prescriptions.
In Virginia, though, pharmacists can turn away any prescription for any reason.
"I am grateful to be able to practice," pharmacy manager Robert Semler said, "where my conscience will never be violated and my faith does not have to be checked at the door each morning."
Semler ran a similar pharmacy before opening the new store, which is not far from Dulles International Airport. The store only sells items that are health-related, including vitamins, skin care products and over-the-counter medications.
On Tuesday, the pharmacy celebrated a blessing from Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde. While Divine Mercy Care is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, it is guided by church teachings on sexuality, which forbid any form of artificial contraception, including morning-after pills, condoms and birth control pills, a common prescription used by millions of women in the U.S.
"This pharmacy is a vibrant example of our Holy Father's charge to all of us to wear our faith in the public square," said Loverde, who sprinkled holy water on the shelves stocked with painkillers and acne treatments. "It will allow families to shop in an environment where their faith is not compromised."
The drug store is the seventh in the country to be certified as not prescribing birth control by Pharmacists for Life International. The anti-abortion group estimates that perhaps hundreds of other pharmacies have similar policies, though they have not been certified.
Earlier this year in Wisconsin, a state appeals court upheld sanctions against a pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills to a woman and wouldn't transfer her prescription elsewhere. Elsewhere, at least seven states require pharmacies or pharmacists to fill contraceptive prescriptions, according to the National Women's Law Center. Four states explicitly give pharmacists the right to turn away any prescriptions, the group said.
The Virginia store's policy has drawn scorn from some abortion rights groups, who have already called for a boycott and collected more than 1,000 signatures protesting the pharmacy.
"If this emboldens other pharmacies in other parts of the state, it could really affect low-income and rural women in terms of access," said Tarina Keene, executive director of the Virginia chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League.
Robert Laird, executive director of Divine Mercy Care, believes many of the estimated 50,000 Catholics within a few miles of the store will support its mission and make up for the roughly 10 percent of business that contraceptives represent in a typical pharmacy.
Whether Catholics will be drawn to the pharmacy is uncertain. According to a Gallup poll published last year for an extensive study of U.S. Catholicism called American Catholics Today, 75 percent of U.S. Catholics said you can still be a good Catholic even if you don't obey church teachings on birth control.
Catherine Muskett said she plans to shop at the drug store even though she lives more than 20 miles away.
"Obviously it's good to support pro-life causes. Every little bit counts," said Muskett, one of about 75 people who crowded into the tiny shop for Tuesday's ceremony.
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Viking
<The item I find disturbing about the article is the mentioning that in some states pharmacists or store owners are required to sell contraceptives.>
Well, what I would suggest is for pharmacists opposed to contraceptives go to pharmacies such as the ones featured in the article above.
Stepping away from the issue of contraception and looking at the issue of the owners structuring their products to conform to their values I think this is one of the things which makes our country great. These people can choose to not sell the products they don't agree with. Customers who want these products can go to another store. While I do not share their view on contraceptives I would defend their right to make this choice in their business.
The item I find disturbing about the article is the mentioning that in some states pharmacists or store owners are required to sell contraceptives. I find this to be contrary to the basic principles of freedom of our country. Since they are not discriminating against anyone unlawfully nor endangering any one the idea that they would be forced to follow someone else's agenda is repugnant and counter to our constitution.
Thanks TG for your thoughts, I don't feel though that we are following our own plan but getting on with our lives as best seems to fit our circumstances and its not so much that God has blessed our marriage but that we have got out of it what we out into it, this does not dishonur God at all but just shows we put to use the brains he gave to us.
Chris, I have no problem with those whish wish to use natural family planning, though I'm not sure if us using contraception makes our sex ungodly, butthat makes it sound quite naughty (and nice) if you get my drift ;-). I don't see e there is a plan to choose just the method of contraception we wish to use.
BW
Steve
The best birth control method in my experience is the vasectomy, I recommend it to those that do not want to reproduce, or have already produced their desired number of off spring.
To my catholic friends I viewed the video put out by catholic.vote I believe and I thought it was both well done and powerful and done in a way that challenges people, specifically catholics, to really understand the importance and value of their vote.
Frankly I'm disappointed that I wouldn't be able to buy a Mountain Dew here, seriously I commend the owners for taking an uncompromising stand on not selling those products that they view as violating their morals and values.
<YAWN> Who cares? Rite Aid's still cheaper and has a much better selection, anyway.
Here's another excellent perspective on God's possible perspective of life. The Gospel of Life:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html
It's at least worth a read and consideration to those who are open to it...
In Christ
Blacksho89,
The use of holy water in Catholic Churches goes back possibly to Apostolic times. There is a tradition that St. Matthew recommended it in order thereby to attract converts from Judaism by using a rite with which they were familiar in their former faith. However, we have no certainty that he introduced it, but we know that it can be traced back nearly to the beginning of our religion. It is mentioned in a letter ascribed by some to Pope Alexander I, and supposed to have been written in the year 117; but the genuineness of this letter is very doubtful. We find a detailed account of its use, however, in the "Pontifical of Serapion," in the fourth century, and the formula of blessing mentioned therein has considerable resemblance to that used at the present day.
The main goal of sprinkling water during Mass on the assembly is to remind us of our Baptism, and to constantly be transformed and cleased from sin and seek to be in God's will. It is a tradition with a small "t". It is good to be reminded of our baptism into Christ death and resurrection, but it is not a act found in the Bible much like how Altar Calls cannot be found in the bible and yet it is still a good tradition of Protestants.
Steve,
It is not easy to live up to God's fullness is it? Being a former Reformed Minister, I found that Natural Family Planning is by far the best with a 95% success rate. This is by far the most Godly way to have intercourse and yet still honor God through this sacred act.
You might also want to see the huge difference between couples who practice NFP versus couples who contracept. NFP couples have only a 10% Divorce rate, while couples who contracept have a 50-60% divorce rate. All these facts can be seen at NaturalFamilyplanning.
Tallguy put it correct. Choose plan A, not plan B.
A little off topic, but could someone tell me where the idea of sprinkling holy water as a blessing came from?
Steveh20, please don't think that anyone is name calling here. No one is judging you. But could it be that God has a different plan for us, as His sons and daughters, then we do, or then the world does? We all know that His ways are different then our ways.
Again, not judging, I fall far short myself. Ultimately and perfectly we know that we are here for His purposes and not ours. Could it be that birth control takes the power and His plan away from God, and gives it to us? We then become in control, our own Gods. This is often the way it is between humankind and God. He has a plan A, but we often take plan B. For an example, Sarai gave Hagar to Abram so that he could have a son with her. This was Saria's and Abram's plan, not God's. Yet in the end God still blessed it and sent Hagar and her son off to a different land, yet as we know God's plan A was for Sarah and Abraham to have a child of their own. Plan A is God's perfect plan for our life, plan B still works, but not exactly the way God intended.
In your case God seems to be wonderfully blessing your marriage. Praise Him! Yet look around you, and what do you see? Broken marriages, adultry, promiscuity, un-wed moms, etc. The Church was NOT wrong when it published Humanae Vitae.
How do you know what you're missing out on by choosing your own plan to follow. For me, I'll never know, I'm the worse culprit! I'd been too busy doing things my way in my earlier years. Yet, we all know that God's way is better then ours.
In Christ....
Well then Chris, my wife and I are selfish and immoral. When we had had 2 children we decided that we could not afford any more(and of course we might have liked more) as we both had to work and we both wanted our children to have a roof over their head and food on the table, and horror of horrors, we both still wanted a good sex life, so sex with contraception was the answer, we used the pill and condoms(one can never be to sure). We have found our sex life got even better because we are free from that worry and that makes our all round relationship better, which makes us better parents as the children can see their parents have a secure relationship.
Coming from a large Catholic family and parish I am not aware of many Catholics who do not take this approach.
I often think that those who write about such things in Catholic periodicals etc.. arn't getting it and are just jealous of those of us who are and don't feel guilty about it
Kind regards
Steve
"Be fruitful and Multiply".
Did you know that ALL PROTESTANTS before 1930 believed ANY FORM OF CONTRACEPTION to be gravely IMMORAL? Without exception, there was not one Christian denomination before 1930 who thought contraception wasn't evil.
Contraception perverts the marriage covenant. Point in fact, divorces began at a all time high level in the 40's and hit a peak between the late 60's and early 90's. More Protestant denominations are studying this issue than ever before and realizing that sex is both unitive and procreative. If you take out the procreative piece, then you just have a selfish act that does not expound the love of the couple.
Contraceptive sex is immoral and selfish. Jesus' bride is the church and His love of the CHurch is fruitful, not contraceptive.
Praise the Lord, Divine Mercy!
Thanks for the response, Tallguy1000.I see your point, and I certainly agree that there is a lot of selfishness and lack of self-control out there, especially in the area of sexual activity.Birth control only seems to be fueling it.Good point!!
GoldenEagle, yeah it would make us wonder, but it seems like there is a commonality. It seems that when we choose to use birth control we are actually saying No to God's possible plan of bringing forth life.
The Church put out a statement 40 years ago called Humanae Vitae (on regulation of birth). In 1968, the sexual revolution, the Church predicted that by society embracing artificial birth control and the pill social ills would develop. The Church predicted that artificial birth control would lead to promiscuity, unwed pregnancies, adultery, unfaithfulness, a high divorce rate and broken families, and rampant homosexuality. The Church was not wrong. Read the original text:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html
As a husband, choosing to have a vasectomy can become a selfish act. It can place the focus on me, my selfish needs, my urges. My wife then becomes an object to me. It's been proven that natural family planning, abstinence at key times, doing things God's way will bring a married couple much closer together, to a deeper level of intimacy. Just ask couples who practice it.
God bless and keep you Holy....
I need to be brought up to speed or educated on this.Is birth-control the same as abortion? Because in my mind I see them as two different things.Abortion is actually "stamping out" a life, isn't it?
It's all for show. Roman Catholic church is great at putting on a front, so they also teach those that follow them to do likewise.
God bless this pharmacy and the people who work within as they go forth to Love and Serve the Lord...
Amen!