Today I read about a pharmacist in Virginia that has chosen to not sell contraceptives because of her faith. The article did not say that she was Roman Catholic, though she is following Church teaching, but many Catholics in the area are quite pleased by the decision. On the other hand, those who are pro-abortion, are naturally quite displeased. In Virginia, pharmacies are allowed to make these decisions to not offer certain products, though this is not the case in every state.
In the article, Pope Benedict is quoted as saying to Catholics, "we must all wear our faith in the public square." This is true for us Orthodox as well. On this particular issue the Orthodox Church is not as clear cut or dogmatic, don't get me wrong though, Orthodoxy does teach that bearing children is one of the purposes of marriage and abortion is a sin, we as Christians must bear witness to our faith in the 'public square'. Of course, this will bring criticism and scorn from some corners of our secularized society (big surprise), but this shouldn't keep us from taking a stand for what we believe.
God bless this pharmacist and the six other pharmacies around the country that have been certified as doing this by Pharmacists for Life International. May we all have the courage to take a stand for our convictions when the opportunity presents itself.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
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1 comment:
Wouldn't a contraceptive with a abortificant effect, as is the case with the pill, be a problem? Pharmicists rarely have to prescribe condoms or other methods that aren't potential abortificants.
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