Richie Davis Gives Perspective on Abortion Drug Access in Law360 Article
Milwaukee associate Richie Davis, part of the Quarles & Brady Health & Life Sciences Practice Group, addressed the ongoing question regarding pharmacies and access to abortion-inducing drugs in a Law360 article about various health topics for the balance of 2022.
One of the top questions is about access to abortion-inducing drugs, including drugs that have other medical uses unrelated to pregnancy. Pharmacists refusing to fill certain prescriptions because of personal opposition or legal concerns have prompted admonitions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Democratic state attorneys general.
An excerpt from the article:
"Pharmacy providers now face a patchwork of often-conflicting state and federal laws, "Quarles & Brady LLP associate Richie Davis told Law360, adding that the issue "is particularly acute for mail-order pharmacies that ship medications across all 50 states" and must ensure that individual prescriptions comport with laws in multiple jurisdictions.
Additional questions have arisen surrounding circumstances in which emergency contraception can be dispensed without running afoul of state laws that are backed up by criminal penalties. To steer clear of legal jeopardy, pharmacies should be diligently monitoring laws and guidance that are changing by the day, and they should also be "closely reviewing diagnosis codes on prescriptions to ensure the drugs are dispensed for a lawful purpose," Davis said.