Pharmacist Loses Claim Against Wal-Mart

A Wisconsin federal district court ruled last week that there are limits to required accommodation of pharmacists' religious beliefs, according to LifeNews yesterday. Pharmacist Neil Noesen had sued Wal-Mart and a staffing agency that had placed him there for religious discrimination, alleging that he was fired last summer for refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs that he says can cause an abortion. However, Judge John Shabaz dismissed the suit, finding that Noesen had gone further, placing telephone callers seeking the drugs on hold indefinitely. He also refused to help customers coming into Wal-Mart seeking the drug find other pharmacists or pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. Noesen had previously been fired from K-Mart for refusing to fill similar prescriptions. Noesen's pharmacy license expired on Wednesday. The state board had ordered him to attend state ethics classes and pay back almost $21,000 in costs the state incurred to investigate him, as a condition for getting his license back. Noesen has not met these requirements.