Pharmacy shame pushes young women toward ‘abortion pills’

When 21-year-old university student Amekie* walked into a Kingston pharmacy to get the morning-after pill, she thought she was doing the right thing. Instead, she walked out humiliated, and now fears she may be pregnant.

"I knew what had happened and I also knew I was in my fertile period, so I went straight to the pharmacy," Amekie told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"I told the pharmacist what I wanted and she said, 'Unno parents a send unno come a university and unno come here an ask fi Plan B,'" she added.

As other customers stared, the questions kept coming: When was your last period? How long ago did you have sex?

Even though the emergency pill was in stock, Amekie said the interrogation made her feel small, dirty, and judged.

It was her first time trying to get the morning-after pill, and she initially brushed off the experience. She left the pharmacy after being denied the pill. With more than a week passed, and her period yet to arrive, she fears that she could be pregnant.

"Mi can feel it [that] something in my body is not right. And now instead of me a pay fi a Plan B, mi haffi a look fi pay fi abortion."

Amekie is not alone. Several young women told THE WEEKEND STAR that judgemental pharmacists are making access to emergency contraception a nightmare -- pushing them to riskier methods, including taking pills commonly used to end early pregnancies.

This reporter went undercover and asked about these pills at a Kingston pharmacy. They are available but just not over the counter.

"Mi nuh judge nobody," one seller said, explaining that one of the tablets, normally used for the treatment of ulcer, stops the pregnancy, and the other one pushes out the aborted foetus.

"Mi just explain how fi use it," she said, adding that it is given to females "depending on how far dem gone".

The seller claims that most people are honest about how far along they are, and if it's too late, they're told the truth: "It cyan do nothing."

The pharmacist told THE WEEKEND STAR that the demand for abortion inducing medication is real and growing.

"As long as abortion stay illegal, and pharmacist dem keep judging people, people a go find another way," the seller added.

However, not everyone in the pharmacy world agrees with how things are handled.

One pharmacy inspector, who requested anonymity, admitted that pharmacists have the power to refuse service.

"As a registered pharmacist, it is in your remit either to dispense or not to dispense. It's a subjective area. You can't say to a pharmacist that you should dispense."

"If a pharmacist blatantly refuses based on personal belief rather than professional assessment, that's an unfortunate event. Pharmacists are trained to be compassionate, empathetic. Training supersedes personal views. It should be based on the questions and answers, not preference," the pharmacist said.