Stephen Joel Coons
Extract
Patient autonomy is the foundation of the ethical principles that guide a health professional’s actions. It can be defined as “the right of individuals to make decisions about what will happen to their bodies; what choice will be made among competing options; and what they choose to take or not take into their bodies. ” By being a barrier to the patient’s receipt of a legally available prescription product, the pharmacist is not only denying the patient her autonomy but potentially causing her emotional and/or physical harm.
Coons SJ. (Editorial) Pharmacists’ Rights of Conscience: Whose Autonomy Is It, Anyway?. Clin Ther. 2005 Jun;27(6):924-925