Students protest Target contraceptives policy

Pitt students took a trip to Target on Saturday, but the only thing on their shopping list was… Pitt students took a trip to Target on Saturday, but the only thing on their shopping list was change.

About 20 people, including members of Pitt’s Campus Women’s Organization and representatives from Planned Parenthood, showed up at the Target on McKnight Road to protest its pharmacy policy regarding emergency contraception, known as EC.

Target managers and pharmacists would not comment on the protest or the store’s policy regarding EC. Target’s corporate headquarters, though, released a statement.

According to the statement, Target pharmacists are required to fill all prescriptions except EC. Pharmacists can request another on-duty pharmacist to fill EC prescriptions if they have “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Customers cannot be denied their prescriptions, although pharmacists are not required to fill them.

In the event that there is only one pharmacist on duty unwilling to fill EC prescriptions, Target’s policy is to contact a nearby pharmacy of the customer’s choice and verify the medication’s availability. The customer may then redeem her prescription at an alternate pharmacy.

Erika Fricke of Planned Parenthood disagrees with this.

“One of the problems that we see is that a lot of pharmacists would rather refer to another pharmacy to fill the prescription,” Fricke said, “but, unfortunately, because EC is a medication that needs to be taken in a timely manner, it needs to be filled in a timely manner.”

Emergency contraceptives are high doses of birth control pills that, if taken within a specified window of time, will help to avoid pregnancy in an emergency situation.

Planned Parenthood Intern Lisa Christopher explained why the protesters selected the McKnight Road store.

“We’re not boycotting Target. Basically, we’re just pressuring the pharmacists to let them know that women deserve access to their prescriptions just as men do,” Christopher said. “This is really an issue of gender discrimination.”

Christopher said that Planned Parenthood conducted secret shopping surveys to see which Target pharmacies filled EC prescriptions. While pharmacists at the Waterfront Target agreed to fill EC prescriptions, pharmacists at the McKnight Road location were less willing.

“A lot of people aren’t even aware of this issue. They don’t even know if it exists,” Christopher added.

Saturday’s wind was no deterrent as protesters held signs and chanted phrases like “Target, Target hear out plea, fill our prescription for EC” during the hour-long demonstration. Passing cars waved and beeped at the group gathered at the bottom of the Target parking lot, and some drivers stopped to ask about the group’s purpose.

Student Sere Altebrando hoped that the group’s presence would raise awareness about the issue.

“A couple of people have slowed down to read our signs, and I saw somebody turn around to read the signs again,” Altebrando said.

After an hour of protesting, the group traveled inside Target. Although Target had additional security guards stationed at the entrance to the store, protesters were permitted to enter the store and go to the pharmacy where they were greeted by managers and the pharmacist on duty.

Fricke explained why they were protesting and asked that the store review its prescription policy. Though managers would not comment on the issue, they thanked the group for protesting “peacefully” and said that corporate headquarters were aware of their presence.

Patti Dunmire from the Thomas Merton Center, a peace and justice organization and activism resource center in Pittsburgh, was pleased with the protest but concerned for the future of women’s rights.

“As medical professionals, pharmacists pledge to do no harm and this is doing harm. This is something that really violates all our rights,” she said.