FOOD, DRUGS AND COSMETICS Utilization of Unused Prescription Drugs: Provide for the Establishment of a Program Through Which Unused Prescription Drugs May Be Distributed for Use by Medically Indigent Persons; Provide for a Pilot Program; Provide That a Pharmacist Who States in Writing an Objection to Any Abortion Shall Not Be Required to Fill a Prescription for a Drug If the Purpose of the Drug Is to Terminate a Pregnancy; Provide That Such Refusal Shall Not Be the Basis for Any Claim for Damages; Provide for the Duration of the Effectiveness of the Written Objection; Amend Chapter 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Relating to Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance, so as to Revise the Purpose of the Chapter; Revise Certain Provisions Regarding Priority for Certain Specialties; Amend Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Relating to Regulation of Hospitals and Related Institutions, as as to Revise a Definition; Provide for Related Matters; Repeal Conflicting Laws; and for Other Purposes

Authors

Georgia State University Law Review

Document Type

Peach Sheet

Abstract

The Act creates a program to be jointly administered by the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy, the Department of Human Resources, and the Department of Human Health. The Act mandates that this program will distribute rather than discard prescription drugs prescribed to patients in health care facilities but not used before the patient's care in the facility ends. The recipients of the unused drugs will be uninsured or medically indigent Georgians. The Act grants pharmacists the right to refuse to fill a prescription for a drug which has the purpose of terminating a pregnancy as long as the pharmacist states in writing his or her objection to the abortion on moral or religious grounds. The Act requires that any pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for a drug to terminate a pregnancy must make reasonable efforts to locate another pharmacist to fill such prescription or they must immediately return the prescription to the owner. The Act does not authorize a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription for any kind of contraceptive. The Act amends provisions which authorize loans to physicians who choose to practice in rural areas by expanding the number of physicians eligible for those loans. The act redefines "rural county" so that the population of military bases will be excluded when determining the population of the county.

Recommended Citation

Georgia State University Law Review, FOOD, DRUGS AND COSMETICS Utilization of Unused Prescription Drugs: Provide for the Establishment of a Program Through Which Unused Prescription Drugs May Be Distributed for Use by Medically Indigent Persons; Provide for a Pilot Program; Provide That a Pharmacist Who States in Writing an Objection to Any Abortion Shall Not Be Required to Fill a Prescription for a Drug If the Purpose of the Drug Is to Terminate a Pregnancy; Provide That Such Refusal Shall Not Be the Basis for Any Claim for Damages; Provide for the Duration of the Effectiveness of the Written Objection; Amend Chapter 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Relating to Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance, so as to Revise the Purpose of the Chapter; Revise Certain Provisions Regarding Priority for Certain Specialties; Amend Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Relating to Regulation of Hospitals and Related Institutions, as as to Revise a Definition; Provide for Related Matters; Repeal Conflicting Laws; and for Other Purposes, 23 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. (2012).
Available at: https://readingroom.law.gsu.edu/gsulr/vol23/iss1/16