BILL DARLING replies:

In my introduction to the Code the reference to discrimination legislation was not related specifically to refusal to supply emergency hormonal contraception. The provision in the revised Code, A1(k) applies to any factors affecting a pharmacist's ability to provide services.

Employment legislation protects employees from being unfairly dismissed; legislation outlawing racial discrimination can include in some circumstances that based upon religious customs or beliefs. If a person's beliefs were such as to prevent him from performing a particular job, it would not be discriminatory to refuse to employ him for that job. In the case of dismissal it would be a question whether unwillingness to supply certain pharmaceutical services was so fundamental in nature as to justify the action.

One of the key responsibilities of the code is probity; another is competence. It is inconceivable that a profession that values honesty and integrity should accept that pharmacists should not disclose to a potential employer relevant factors such as their inability to supply certain services, whether this derives from lack of knowledge or from moral persuasion. Whether it is extemporaneous preparation, dispensing for addicts, specific medicines information services, or other aspects of pharmacy services in primary or secondary care, it is essential that pharmacists are upfront about what they can or cannot, will or will not, do.