An Aberdeen pharmacy has become the first in the country to offer birth control pills directly from a specially trained pharmacist, thus avoiding the need to obtain prescriptions from physicians. The new scheme will be tested in a Boots the Chemist outlet, and will be available to women who are at least16 years of age. [Scotsman]
Since it appears that the prescribing pharmacists will likely be volunteers, the arrangement has the potential to minimize the likelihood of conflicts of conscience among pharmacists and non-prescribing physicians.