Religious dogmatism

Editor, The Times:

Pharmacists who refuse to sell Plan B medication are living in their own private theocracy. [“Judge: State can’t force druggists to sell Plan B,” NWThursday, Feb. 23]. Suppose a druggist refuses to sell insulin because it’s her religious belief that God wanted the customer to have diabetes as a test and the only cure is prayer?

Would U.S. District judge Ronald Leighton and Ralph’s Thriftway rush to uphold the pharmacist’s rights? What would happen if another customer comes to Ralph’s, asks for Plan B, and when refused, sues the pharmacy because the customer believes life doesn’t begin until the soul enters the body, which happens eight days (or six months — pick your religion) after birth?

If the answer is, go elsewhere to get the medicine, why? Why shouldn’t the pharmacist just get a job driving a bus, where religious dogmatism is much less likely to cause conflict?

— Tim Walsh, Seattle

Men shouldn’t decide women’s health issues

With the recent ruling that pharmacists may refuse to offer Plan B, we once again have a bunch of men deciding, under the guise of religious freedom, what medical treatment is appropriate for women.

What do you suppose these men would think if every female pharmacist in the state suddenly starting to refuse them their Cialis and Viagra prescriptions? After all, most religions forbid all sex except between married couples.

Those men might use the drugs to have sex with a person they aren’t married to! Since being party to sex between unmarried persons violates religious freedom, you can’t get your medicine.

— Jay Florey, Olympia

Separation of church, state

The attack on Christianity continues in Friday’s editorial, It’s stunning how bigoted otherwise intelligent people can become when they push abortion as health care, 24/7 [“Appeal ‘Plan B’ ruling for women’s health care,” Opinion, Feb. 24].

America was founded to welcome religious outcasts without government intrusion. That is the constitutional separation of church and state that is misrepresented by progressive secularists.

The Seattle Times and Gov. Chris Gregoire are in good company of religious intruders and abusers that are forcing the Komen breast-cancer foundation to give money for abortions and a president that is personally demanding that the Catholic church pay for sterilizations and abortions through insurance policies. We have over 200 years of religious-accommodation tradition that today’s progressive bullies seek to extinguish.

Stop this madness now.

— Alfred Petermann, Seattle