By Mike Dishnow, April 11, 2005

The national news documents the alarming trend of those in power to pry into the private lives of individuals and families. From the halls of Congress and the White House to the local pharmacy, individuals who see the world in terms of “black and white” are overstepping their bounds and attempting to force their personal morality and religious beliefs on the rest of us.

Pharmacists who are unwilling to fill doctor’s prescriptions are not fulfilling their professional obligations and should be disciplined.

The reports indicate there are those who even refuse to refer customers to others. It is time for laws to protect consumers from these unprofessional and biased individuals.

A graphic in the Washington Post recently showed several states proposing such laws and others proposing laws to allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions they find morally or religiously objectionable. Will this simply become another example of the “red and blue” states?

We live in a democracy. This is not a theocracy. It is time for those who would force their moral and religious views on society to seriously ponder the end result of such a state of affairs. I would suggest that they consider the results if another political alliance gains power and they fall out of favor. There are compelling reasons to support the thesis of a clear wall of separation between church and state. It protects the more conservative views of individual conscience as well as those of more liberal persuasions. It is simply for the “common good.”